Its only early August (8-6-2025) but signs of seasonal changes are occurring in the outdoor world. Most of our trees have reached full foliage. Wild fruit trees have set their fruit—all still green. Tangled tendrils of Fox Grape have hanging bunches of green grapes. Browsing deer have consumed the low hanging ones, but others remain intact above deer browse height.
The night cacophony of crickets and katydids has begun in earnest. And I observed the first fallen acorns. Then too the top branches of our White Pines are loaded with elongate pine cones. Gray squirrels are active up there..peeling the cones like we might eat an artichoke (oh well, some of us might).
Then too in the insect world…our new invasive species the Spotted Lantern Fly…has been seen only as as jumping colorful, red and black sotted immature instars all summer…but now..I have observed very few of these and many more larger spotted winged adults. So now is the time to begin looking for SLF egg masses to “neutralize”.
And especially indicative of change: on my daily walk today, I came across two young buck deer both with velvety eight point racks. These two “boys” had very attractive symmetrical full grown antlers. Then to top that, on the way home I had to stop to let two more eight pointers cross the wooded road ahead. Deer respond to physical clues related to the intensity and duration of daylight. (Something we are insulated from in our air conditioned and light control homes and business venues.) It is a sure sign of a changing season— when the “rut” comes on. Generally the pre-rut season—starts in late October (in the northeast).but…bucks converging and snooping around during day light hours are very suggestive of inevitable and welcomed changes to come. So we must take notice.
We welcome the changing seasons…it stimulates our brains and bodies.
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