The grey clouds and cold wind have descended today after a glorious week of teasing warmth and sunshine. The butterflies, bees, alder- and may-flies, which had been spurred on by the clemency of the weather, are now subdued, pinned down by gusty winds and sheltering until the sun reappears. The woods have lost their buzz, hum and flutter, but in their place have gained the gentle sea-shore whoosh of trees caressing each other, the trunks bending back and forth in a slow, swaying dance, creaking as they stretch to reach their companions, only to be dashed by an eddy in the wind. The diffuse light from overcast skies brings out a thousand shades of green, usually hidden behind the over-saturated golden tones so unique to woodlands in the summer, the sunshine distorted and dappled by millions of leaves drinking it in. And the birds are less vocal as well, although by no means quiet. Instead of the riotous chorus of a full blown avian symphony we hear a concerto, with the whispering orchestra of the trees giving way to a single solo artist. The reed warbler is still dutifully providing a serenade of cracks, chokes, clicks and whistles, now interspersed with some dissonant mimicry of the raucous terns. But his solo performance is competing against the mournful sound of the windblown reeds. The warbler is no longer a virtuoso dazzling an enraptured audience, but is today a busker trying to be heard above the din of life, insecure in his performance, knowing that the reeds ignore him and continue with their commute, back and forth, back and forth.
The signs of summer are not all gone, though in the dullness of the skies they seem less exciting and certainly less promising. The first swifts fly overhead, dark sickles against a moody field of white and grey. And in amongst the sedges pinpricks of white and pink appear, tiny flowers spurred on by the warmth of last week: cuckooflower, marsh valerian and large bittercress. The dog violets continue to repose thoughtfully on their mossy lawn, and ask the question: what will the rest of the summer bring?