Last September, while kayaking up the Connecticut River, I passed a monarch butterfly heading in the opposite direction. I turned my boat and watched it go, a flickering spot of blaze orange, likely on its way to southern wintering grounds.
Early autumn is a time of transition and surprise encounters. Many migrating birds, bats, and insects are on the move, and other creatures are rearranging their lives in preparation for the cold. As a landowner who makes sporadic efforts to enhance habitat, I’m gratified to observe how small efforts to support resident wildlife can also offer food and shelter for winged travelers. For example, for two years running, migrating Wilson’s warblers have used the regenerating aspen stand beside our field as a motel. It’s also fun to see other northern-bred birds fueling up on seeds in the weed patches that we leave un-mowed beside the barn.
The image accompanying this column came from an October family camera trap project to document seasonal mammal activity in our apple orchard. These old cider trees – which we liberated from head-height invasive honeysuckle – tend to hold their fruit until very late in the season, and we knew that they were a draw for bears and porcupines. What we didn’t anticipate was how many different mammal species (eight) would pass through the site in the course of a month, seemingly undeterred by their proximity to our house. This handsome bobcat was probably there to hunt apple-eating rodents.
Autumn is also a time when many Northern Woodlands readers are on the move. As the weather turns, our office receives a rush of winter change-of-address notices to states with names ending in a. Others are heading to deer camp, and still others (who tend to be more secretive about their destinations) are trying their luck fishing for trout. As for my husband, kids, and me, we’re still enjoying a last few warm weekends of kayak picnics, but by Halloween, I expect that the dog’s prayers will be answered, and we’ll have fully transitioned back to forest trails.
There’s another seasonal movement in progress, one that has put my household in a more-than-usual state of discombobulation – the start of a new school year. Please note that educators and homeschooling families are eligible for free subscriptions to the magazine through our “Northern Woodlands Goes to School” program. And, pssst, teachers, we welcome creative ideas about how else this nonprofit can support your endeavors as you, too, move into this new season.