Listening for the Sounds of Summer.

This is my project:

I want to share with you a story. A true story based on facts and founded on science yet told with humor and chock full of heart. A tale of human frailties, hubris, ingenuity, and at its core, a cathartic effort to glimpse what embers of hope remain for the natural world.

How green a lawn,

how quiet its song.

A chance to listen for the sounds of summer is an active reaction to the fading voices of the life that once flourished all around us and could again, if given a chance. In Silent Spring, Rachel Carson gave a clarion call for our attention concerning the unintended consequences of the widespread use of the pesticide DDT. In Silent Earth, David Goulson laid bare the science and catastrophic effects of the continued proliferation and daily distribution of deadly toxins purposefully and with at least some foreknowledge concerning their lethality on non-target species. Douglas Tallamy shows the way with his advice and research into native plants and their integral relationship to the animals that depend on them, including us.

How I miss the singing of the birds

and the rhythms of the peepers in their ponds.

The buzzing of the bees

and the sharp call of cicadas from the top of their trees,

Won’t you join me

as we listen for the sounds of summer?