The Soul of Summer

The Soul of Summer

By Rachel Anderson, Naturalist

rachel.anderson@nashville.gov

June 2021

Winter in Tennessee is quiet, still, sometimes with a soft hiss of falling snow, sometimes punctuated by sharp, dry sounds of branches creaking and birds making quick call-notes and chips. Spring is a marvelous cacophony of sounds that energize and invigorate – a riotous blend of insects and birds trilling and singing.  Fall is all crunchy and coarse, the dry leaves a perfect amplifier for anything falling or moving on them.  But Summer is something special, and of all the seasons, I love the sounds of Summer in Tennessee the most. 

Summer sounds always transport me back to those long, carefree, relaxing Summers as a child, where I was lucky enough to roam free in my nearby woods all day long. Summer sounds seem endless to me, even pleasantly monotonous, and they are certainly soothing. 

This is how I hear Summer…

Rain falling on a thick canopy of green leaves – each individual drop a staccato note as it hits, then a quiet murmur as the water droplets coalesce and trickle down the tree bark. It is a delightful moment to be caught in a summer rain shower in the woods.

Birds that are only here during the nesting season, calling to one another as they go about their lives nearly hidden in the trees. The stately, wooden-sounding ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp call of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and the short, dry pi-ti-ki-ti-ki-tuck of the brilliant Summer Tanager are iconic sounds of summer to me.  

Yellow-billed Cuckoo courtesy Graham Gerdeman

Male Summer Tanager

Male Indigo Buntings will sing all summer long, their paired, “sweet sweet, chew, chew, something something” a pleasant highlight in the soundscape that always makes me pause and smile when I hear it.

Male Indigo Bunting

Annual cicadas are the epitome of summer sounds during the long, hot days. Different from the periodical 13 and 17-year species, annual cicadas are a staple sound in late summer when they emerge. Commonly called Dog Day Cicadas, their dry, loud, metallic, machine-like calls can even define the time of day!  Some cicada species prefer to sing in the morning, while others sing at dusk, creating a continuity of sound that is – to me – peaceful and somehow comforting.   

There are around 10 species of cicadas in Tennessee. Listen closely and you can hear different patterns in their calls. How many species can you hear this summer?

As June blends into July, these sounds simply become the background of my daily life, a seamless song that relaxes my mind and body the moment I step outside. Whether I’m hiking the Burch Reserve and enjoying the bird song all around or sitting in the amphitheater behind the Nature Center at dusk listening to the cicada songs slowly change to the signing katydids, this is the time of year that I am at my most relaxed and content.  So while they may be unremarkable to some, these sounds are, to me, the soul of summer and I’m so glad the sonorous song has begun.