26 June 1854 – 2 July 1854

Monday. P. M.—Up river to Purple Utricularia Shore. Cornus sericea, yesterday at least. Small front-rank polygonum, a smut-like blast in the flower. Small form of arrowhead in Hubbard’s aster meadow, ap- parently several days. I am struck, as I look toward the Dennis shore from the bathing-place, with the peculiar agreeable dark shade of June, a clear air, and bluish light on the grass and bright silvery light reflected from fresh green leaves. Sparganium, ap- parently ramosum, two or three days. The largest apparently the same, but very rarely in blossom ; found one, however, with a branched scape, but not concave leaves except below. Gratiola. Cicuta macu- lata, apparently to-morrow. )

P. M. — Cliffs xa Hubbard meadow. Smooth sumach ‘at ‘Texas house, two days. Hellebore in full bloom; how long? For the most part does not bloom. Polygonum sagittatum probably also some time at Baker Swamp. C£nothera biennis, two or more days. Scutellaria galericulata, to-morrow. Polygonum Persicaria. Marchantia polymorpha. Uydrocotyle, a day or two in Potter’s field near Corner road by apple tree. Blueberries pretty numerously ripe on Fair Haven. P. Hutchinson says that he can remember when haymakers from Sudbury, thirty or forty years ago, used to come down the river in numbers and unite with Concord to clear the weeds out of the river in shallow places and the larger streams emptying in. The three lecheas show reddish and flower-like at top, — the second of Gray apparently a little the most forward.

A. M. — To Island. Tall anemone. Pontederia to-morrow. A thunder-shower in the afternoon.

Another clear morning after last evening’s rain. P. M. — To lime-kiln. Spurry, a good while. Cichorium at Simon Brown’s, three or four days (early); also catnep, about two days. Canada thistle, yesterday. Earliest cultivated cherries, a, week ago. Hazelnut burs now make a show. Veronica serpyllifolia still. ‘The cherry-bird’s note 1s like the fine peep of young partridges or woodcocks. All the large black birches on Hubbard’s Hill have just been cut down, — half a dozen or more. The two largest measure two feet seven inches in diameter on the stump at a foot from the ground; the others, five or six inches less. The inner bark there about five eighths of an inch.

P. M.— Walden and Hubbard’s Close. Jersey tea. Young oak shoots have grown from one and a half to three or four feet, but now in some cases appear to be checked and a large bud to have formed. Poke, a day or two. Small crypta Elatine, ap- parently some days at least, at Callitriche Pool. Rubus triflorus berries, some time, — the earliest fruit of a rubus. The berries are very scarce, light (wine?) red, semitransparent, showing the seed, — a few (six to ten) large shining grains and rather acid. Lobelia spicata, to-morrow.

Saturday. P. M. — To Cliffs. From the hill I perceive that the air is beautifully clear after the rain of yesterday, and not hot; fine- grained. ‘The landscape is fine as behind a glass, the horizon-edge distinct. The distant vales toward the northwest mountains le up open and clear and elysian like so many Tempes. ‘The shadows of trees are dark and distinct. On the river I see the two broad borders of pads reflecting the light, the dividing line between them and the water, their irregular edge, perfectly distinct. The clouds are separate glowing masses or blocks floating in the sky, not threatening rain. I see from this hill their great shadows pass slowly here and there over the top of the green forest. Later a breeze rises and there is a sparkle on the river somewhat as in fall and spring. The wood thrush and tanager .. sing at 4p. m. at Cliffs. The #7 . anychia in steep path beyond springs, almost. Some boys brought me to- night a singular kind of spawn found attached to a pole float- ing in Fair Haven Pond. Some of it six feet below the surface, some at top, the up- permost as big as a water-pail; a very firm and clear jelly, the surface covered with small rayed or star- shaped spawn (?). Ay s A great quantity of it.

Sunday. 4 a. m.— To Hill. Hear the chip-bird and robin very lively at dawn. From the Hill, the sun rising, I see a fine river fog wreath- ing the trees—elms and maples—by the shore. I mark the outlines of the elms and Salix Purshiana, now so still and distinct, looking east. It is clear sum- mer now. The cocks crow hoarsely, ushering in the long-drawn thirsty summer day. A day for cows. The morning the spring of the day. A few bullfrogs trump. P. M. — To Flint’s Pond and Smith’s Hill with C. Thimble-berries. Parsnip at Tuttle’s. Tobacco- pipe well up. Spatulate or long-leaved sundew, some days. Hypericum Canadense, some days. Pyrola elluptica, apparently some days, or directly after rotundifolia, on east side of Smith’s Hill. Asclepias phytolaccoides, a new plant, apparently two or three days on Smith’s Hill. A blue high blueberry ripe. An abundance of red lilies in the upland dry meadow, near Smith’s Spring trough; low,—from one to two feet high, — upright-flowered, more or less dark shade of red, freckled and sometimes wrinkle-edged petals; must have been some days. This has come with the intense summer heats, a torrid July heat like a red sunset threatening torrid heat. (Do we not always have a dry time just before the huckleberries turn ?) I think this meadow was burnt over about a year ago.