Back in the seventh and eighth centuries, the poets wrote fondly of À¥³æ (°ì´Ç²Ô³¦³ó¨±, insects) and their association with summer.

We¡¯re just as likely to associate ³æ (mushi, bugs) with the season these days, but I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ll get any 21st-century poems about the ¥´¥­¥Ö¥ê (gokiburi, cockroaches) that come out with the heat anytime soon.

Summer is more likely to be associated with the sight of µû (³¦³ó¨­, butterflies) and ¤È¤ó¤Ü (tonbo, dragonflies) on a sweltering day, the buzz of a ·ä (hachi, bee) flying from flower to flower, or a line of Ï (ari, ants) that has come across a Popsicle that has been dropped on the ground.