Gossamer summer.
At the edge of a thick wood, a flock of geese finds a resting place on a pond. They wash and preen their feathers before continuing their long journey south. In the east, the sun turns the sky a pale shade of pink. It is a promise of soft breezes and a warm summer day.A herd of cows wanders slowly across a meadow. They search for tender shoots of grass and wildflowers. Their arrival at the small pool brings angry honks from the geese. Suddenly the birds take to the wind. Their powerful wings make a noise like thunder as they crowd the sky.
The meadow is full of goldenrod and tall wild grasses fat with seed. They wave in the breeze like an ocean of orange. Field mice scurry through the jungle of weeds, endlessly gathering tiny seeds. Their faces are fat and their burrows are full, but their work goes on.
It is Gossamer Summer - a time when the days are hot but the evenings turn cool. It is a time when old folk tales are told around warm fires. The tales tell how fairies come out of the nearby woods. The fairies dance across the meadow, leaving long strands of their silken hair as the only clue of their passing.
Look into the sky! Can you see it? A fairy dances in the clouds. But wait! That is no fairy you see. It's a hatchling spider, riding the wind like a sailor sailing the high seas. Soon the sky above the pond is filled with thousands of tiny spiders.
This is Gossamer Summer - a time filled with wonder. It's a time when nature changes a meadow into a fairyland. Baby spiders turn their spinnerets toward the sky and sail with the wind. They go to places far away, their long strands of silk glistening like the silken hair of fairies.
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| Title Annotation: | plants and animals in summer meadows |
|---|---|
| Author: | D'Amelio, Donna D. |
| Publication: | Children's Playmate |
| Date: | Jul 1, 1994 |
| Words: | 314 |
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