August 22, 1985 - Savoring the Summer SoundsAugust 22, 1985 The Suffolk Tithes ' Page 13A
Savoring the Summer Sounds
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
What a wonderful gift our senses are.
Sight. What a different world it would
be if this were missing. The sense of
touch. How we'd all miss the softness
of a baby's skin. Or taste, I, who love
to eat, will say no more. And how about
the sense of smell, of new mown hay, a
fresh -cut rose or the salt air off the
ocean?
Last, and by no means the least, the
sense of hearing, which I'm sorry to say
is slowly slipping away from me. Yet,
even though I don't get all those high -
pitched calls of the chickadee or warbler
high in the trees above, I still recall
those glorious notes that told me who
was in my woodlot. It's hard to think
back to the first sounds you distinctly
remember. I'm sure voices of my par-
ents were the first sounds recorded to
my ears but I can't definitely remember
them. The wild and terrifying scream
of a fire engine was the first sound I
can distinctly remember.
I had just had my tonsils out and my
mother and father had taken me to a
huge strange hospital. It was nothing
like home, and never having been away
made it a shaky experience in itself. It
was late at night when I awoke in this
unfamiliar place. The nightlight was
the only illumination I can remember
and I was alone with a very sore throat.
Then out of the faraway darkness
came the scream of a fire engine! How
that penetrated and has hung in my
head so long. It's funny how little things
like that don't leave you. I guess we all
have them.
Well, from then on newer sounds
were recorded and kept alive in my
memory box. The snapping and crackl-
ing of wood burning in the old pot -bel-
lied stove surely ranked high in my
Focus on
Nature
early memories. The baying of my old
brown hound dog I'll never forget. And
even the rumbling of ice skates on a
frozen pond -- a sound we'll all re-
member. But besides these sounds of
youth there were the sounds of the out-
doors that started to play a more and
more important role in my sound re-
cordings.
On hot summer evenings the
katydids and locusts would call in the
treetops. Lazy, half - asleep on the bed
without sheet or blanket I'd listen to
the night sounds. This was youthful
summer.
Now, Like Then
Just a few days ago we had a hot spell
and the katydids and locusts were back
at their jobs sounding high in the trees
with the enthusiasm of life. Night
sounds can be loud to almost nothing
at all. Tree toads, insects of all sorts
and other creatures seem to relish the
night for a time of calling. Sometimes
they sound far away. Other times they
sound right under your window and al-
most keep you awake.
It's like the delightful call of the moc-
kingbird -- that curious long- tailed grey
bird with the white patches never seems
to stop singing. Sometimes they'll sing
all night long, keeping you awake.
Many a person has cussed them at two
or three in the morning when the moon
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
GIANT CICADA KILLER - -This 11h -inch black wasp with yellow bands
is a deadly hunter that preys on the cicada, or locust, we hear humming
high in the trees on hot summer nights.
is high. My chickens, too, call occasion-
ally in the night as they roost high in
the trees away from the fox and
marauding raccoon.
The one thing that might stop the
sounds of the locust -- called the cicada
-- in a lethal attack by a huge wasp
called the giant cicada killer. This
mammoth wasp is a deadly hunter that
preys on the cicada. Once stung into
submission, the wasp will carry this big
cicada to the underground tunnel he
had previously dug.
I had the good fortune of having one
of the true old- timers of Greenport call
me the other day concerning a huge hole
being dug in his lawn. He first thought
it was a mole or vole hole but later,
after seeing the dirt fly out, piling up
to at least two handfuls of new soil, a
large wasp emerged. This inch - and -a-
half black and yellow banded fellow was
an expert digger as well as an expert
hunter.
I had never seen one, so I looked it
up in my insect book and found it to be
the largest of our wasps. They are sort
of like the little yellow jackets that nest
in the ground in colonies and are such
pests around the place. But this one,
being a loner and not a pest, is seldom
seen. Once inside with its prize, the
wasp lays its eggs on the locust so that
when the young emerge they will have
a fresh supply of food to live on.
What a fascinating world we live in,
and how much there is to know about
it. Without the keen interest of Mr. Utz
in Greenport I never would have known
about this giant cicada killer. Once
again I am indebted to my public for
their interest.
Industrial & Farm Equipment
�,�� ROLLE BROS.
✓;'�!4. , ROUTE 58, P.O. BOX 358
RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK 727 -4383
Your Authorized Sperry -New Holland Dealer
WEEKLY. SPEC' L through August 31 st
Regular Mouth z
Mason Jars
1
12'/2 Gallon Jars
Regularly $9.29
$699
MMIN
713 Pulaski Street, Riverhead
727 -6690
Your Country Value,
F_JM,rAT1V!Vf C
FUEL OIL • KEROSENE
DIESEL FUEL
AGWAY EAT NLG INSTALLATIONS
—ENERGY PR0DUCT8,, SALES & SERVICE
FUELS - SERVICE • EQUIPMENT Water Heater
and Water Softening Equipment
SALES & RENTALS
PULASKI ST. 727 -3012 RIVERHEAD
now
a F11LA wt
w IALmf
30-50% Off
on Costume Jewelry
THERAGRAN -M°
� , SPECIAL OFFER l w/x
$ 40
W /FREE TOOTHBRUSH
BUFFERIN TABS 36s ...................... Reg. 3.38 NOW $2.99
EXTRA STRENGTH BUFFERIN TABS 6os.. Reg. 5.21 NOW $4.69
BUFFERIN 100s TABS .................... Reg. 5.94 NOW $5.35
DATRIL TABS 30s ......................... Reg. 2.53 NOW $2.28
DATRIL CAPS 24s ........................ Reg. 2.53 NOW $2.28
VITALIS LIQUID 7 oz ...................... Reg. 4.43 NOW $3.99
VITALIS SUPERHOLD 8 oz ................ Reg. 4.7o NOW $4.23
VITALIS AEROSOL NORMAL HOLD 8 oz. Reg. 4.7o NOW $4.23
VITALIS AEROSOL SUPERHOLD 8 oz..... Reg. 4.7o NOW $4.23
Prices effective August 22.
Colo r
100 FRONT STREET, GREENPORT • 477 -1111 9
Summer Hours: Mon. - Fr. 8 -8, Sat. 8 -7, Sun. 9 -5
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
GIANT CICADA KILLER - -This 11h -inch black wasp with yellow bands
is a deadly hunter that preys on the cicada, or locust, we hear humming
high in the trees on hot summer nights.
is high. My chickens, too, call occasion-
ally in the night as they roost high in
the trees away from the fox and
marauding raccoon.
The one thing that might stop the
sounds of the locust -- called the cicada
-- in a lethal attack by a huge wasp
called the giant cicada killer. This
mammoth wasp is a deadly hunter that
preys on the cicada. Once stung into
submission, the wasp will carry this big
cicada to the underground tunnel he
had previously dug.
I had the good fortune of having one
of the true old- timers of Greenport call
me the other day concerning a huge hole
being dug in his lawn. He first thought
it was a mole or vole hole but later,
after seeing the dirt fly out, piling up
to at least two handfuls of new soil, a
large wasp emerged. This inch - and -a-
half black and yellow banded fellow was
an expert digger as well as an expert
hunter.
I had never seen one, so I looked it
up in my insect book and found it to be
the largest of our wasps. They are sort
of like the little yellow jackets that nest
in the ground in colonies and are such
pests around the place. But this one,
being a loner and not a pest, is seldom
seen. Once inside with its prize, the
wasp lays its eggs on the locust so that
when the young emerge they will have
a fresh supply of food to live on.
What a fascinating world we live in,
and how much there is to know about
it. Without the keen interest of Mr. Utz
in Greenport I never would have known
about this giant cicada killer. Once
again I am indebted to my public for
their interest.
Industrial & Farm Equipment
�,�� ROLLE BROS.
✓;'�!4. , ROUTE 58, P.O. BOX 358
RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK 727 -4383
Your Authorized Sperry -New Holland Dealer
WEEKLY. SPEC' L through August 31 st
Regular Mouth z
Mason Jars
1
12'/2 Gallon Jars
Regularly $9.29
$699
MMIN
713 Pulaski Street, Riverhead
727 -6690
Your Country Value,
F_JM,rAT1V!Vf C
FUEL OIL • KEROSENE
DIESEL FUEL
AGWAY EAT NLG INSTALLATIONS
—ENERGY PR0DUCT8,, SALES & SERVICE
FUELS - SERVICE • EQUIPMENT Water Heater
and Water Softening Equipment
SALES & RENTALS
PULASKI ST. 727 -3012 RIVERHEAD