Where’s the Buzz

THE BUMBLE BEES ARE GONE.
I have seen two, maybe three bumblebees this summer on hydrangea paniculata in the back of the house. The bush is gigantic, reaching 8 feet at its center with a diameter of 10–12 feet, which attracts thousands of bubble bees every year, but not this year. I was looking forward to crawling underneath it, having cleared out the lower dead branches to watch and listen to those industrious workers.
What could be the reason for their sudden disappearance? There are hardly any mosquitoes either, not that I am complaining, and the black flies were here then suddenly gone as well. This Spring was abnormally cold for an extended time, and now the heat and humidity is back. The clouds have an entirely different look with different types of clouds all present at the same time. The edge of every cumulus is torn and ragged, like nothing I have seen anywhere before.
Larissa and I went to OOB, a beach located in southern Maine and instead of the water being moderately cool it was somewhat warm, surprising both of us. The caterpillars have developed a late-onset, and voracious appetite and the frog population have exploded. None of this sounds terrifying, but when grouped signal significant changes in our environment.
Climate change is evident, and I am reminded of it every day.
Jeff Bailey © 2018

