Hot Times...Summer in the South

The relentless heat of the noon-day sun wilts the tomato and pepper plants, bending them downward in lethargic fashion. The automatic sprinkler clicks on and sprays the lawn and plants with rejuvenating H2O and the plants valiantly struggle to lift their heads.

The Sunflowers along the path are straight and firm their heads turned to the sun, soaking up the warmth as its roots dig deep for nutrients.

Summer in the South is unrelenting in its heat and few plants and flowers can survive it. Lawns struggle to stay green under the torturous sunshine. Afternoon storms give some relief but once they pass the Sun takes back its residence and soaks up the raindrops, drying the land in minutes.

Birds twitter loudly alerting their flock when water puddles appear and they dive down to drink their fill before the portable bird fountain disappears into the heated ground.

Bees and assorted insects fly into the flowers and cicadas have made an appearance once again. Their song in the tree groves makes one think of spirits. It is a chattering sound, musical and winsome, although the bug itself is not so appealing.

Nature is alive in this harsh summer but humans have difficulty navigating the garden paths in the southern heat and flock instead to the sandy beaches on the coast to catch a wave and hopefully a cooling ocean wind.