Where have all the seasons gone?

I wrote a column a few months ago about recognizing the seasons by the bugs that show up, but in retrospect, I’m not sure that is the best determinant. I’ve seen my share of bees and hoverflies this summer, but not like the swarms of past summers. It also seems that ladybugs are in short supply this year. I did need to thwart a minor invasion of squash bugs using an organic spray and marigolds planted throughout the garden.

Thankfully, we haven’t had a bumper crop of summer squash, aka zucchini, because that gets tiresome. This fall, I plan to enjoy our bounty of acorn squash, which, along wit...