Summer Solstice and the Stars of the Forest

Summer solstice: the Northern Hemisphere’s longest day and shortest night of the year – how could it be, so soon? Now to the East Coast return the days of high heat and humidity and summer storms. The word solstice comes from the Latin sol, or sun, and stitium, to stand still: the sun seems to halt for a luxuriously long while – giving us precious time to enjoy it, that often passes too quickly. Earth’s axis tilts at its maximum toward the sun at noon, appearing directly overhead at its northernmost point in the sky. Our shadows shrink to the year’s shortest. This first day of summer has been celebrated for thousands of years, often with nighttime bonfires, accompanied by singing, dancing, feasts of favorite food and drink, and flowers.

Looking out at the garden as the sun sinks westward, I spot as a mourning dove alights on the ground. My late mother would’ve turned 97 this past Father’s Day. Like her, my dad loved the outdoors. Always with me, along with their warmth and love, is a deep sense of appreciation for nature. How wondrous this landscape, this moment – air softly scented, warm breeze, buzz of bees and chirp of crickets, the yard awash with golden light – this sweet life!

Here, I’m lucky to share B’s loving, nurturing family, as we’ve moved to be closer to his parents and sister. I since learned that Connecticut’s state flower is Mountain laurel. This Northeast evergreen thrives in the dappled light of the woods, a relative of rhododendron and blueberries. Native plants have evolved over thousands of years, through drought and rain, supplying local insects and birds with shelter and food (although all of this native plant is poisonous to ingest!). Magnificent sprays of these star-shaped blossom clusters crown bushes tall as trees, scattered throughout the forest.

At last, when long days turn into night, emerge the forest’s true stars: fireflies, magical creatures who attract mates by producing green, yellow, or reddish light with the chemical process of bioluminescence. In their light-emitting organs – varied between sexes but usually on a female’s lower abdomen, the enzyme luciferase acts on luciferin, aided by magnesium, ATP, and oxygen.

Globally, fireflies are declining, faced with multiple threats caused by us humans – beautifully described in this essay by Margaret Renkl: climate change, habitat loss, light pollution, invasive species, and herbicides and insecticides. We can help nurture and protect these amazing beings by curbing our carbon output, avoiding pesticides, planting and encouraging native species, turning off lights at night/using motion sensors, and supporting community science efforts and conservation organizations.

Outshining even the stars above in the forest clearing, these enchanting beetles rise up, up, up into the trees, as together with the sounds of the woods and the river’s rush they form constellations. This year, summer’s first full moon – arriving at strawberry season’s peak – greets us as a “Strawberry Moon.“

Photo by Quit007, courtesy of Wikipedia: Nuremberg, Germany