The days are getting shorter, the nights are a bit cooler, and the fireflies no longer light up the night sky. Even though I’m not quite ready for summer to be over, there’s a lot to look forward to in the fall. While some may be excited for pumpkin-spiced lattes, flannel shirts, and apple picking (sometimes all on the same day), I’m most excited about the changes in nature! Now that fall has begun, let’s take this opportunity to see what’s happening out in nature!
Downy gentian in bloom
When you think of flowers in bloom, it’s not uncommon to think of spring or summer, but I think fall has some of the best flower displays around. The landscape is beginning to turn purple and yellow with all of the asters and goldenrods blooming. These opposites on the color wheel make them complementary colors and they truly do complement one another.
If you know where to look, you may be lucky enough to find some downy gentian (pictured above) which only adds to the landscape’s color palette.
Yellow garden spider
While out collecting prairie seed with our trusty outdoor volunteers, we stumbled upon at least a dozen of these yellow garden spiders (pictured above). They’re pretty harmless (unless you’re a grasshopper) so I usually just walk around them.
Every time I see the yellow and black on these spiders, I think of those ink blot tests and I always see something new. On this one, I can see a black cat with yellow eyes. What do you see?
Critter evidence
As we get ready to settle into the colder months, many different species of wildlife are too. While out on a hike, I found some evidence of a critter that was snacking on some hickory nuts at the base of a tree. These nuts are high in fat which is great for a small mammal prepping for the cold.
The hole at the bottom of the tree was undoubtedly the home entrance of the sneaky snacker, and while I didn’t get a glimpse of it, I’m fairly certain it was a chipmunk. I can’t rule out a red squirrel, but I did see chipmunks in the area so that’s my guess.
Baby meadow vole
Lastly, I’ll leave you with this photo of a baby meadow vole that we found out at Patrick Marsh while collecting prairie seed with volunteers. If you haven’t noticed, we find a lot of really cool stuff while out doing habitat restoration, so this is my plug to come out and join us if you’re not already signed up! We also found a large praying mantis on the same morning!
The vole was so young that its eyes had not yet opened. Since it was right on the trail, I carefully picked it up and moved it just a short distance away in the prairie. It was squeaking so I know momma vole will be able to find it.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this month’s nature update and I’ll see you next month!