The Nature of Fall

So when does Autumn become Fall? Or when did Fall become Autumn?  Autumn: a time of full maturity, esp. the late stages of maturity or the early stages of decline.  Ah yes, the Autumn of life. Now does that follow the senior citizen discount age offered by HyVee or by Kohl's? Is that Medicare age or retirement age? Are the "early stages of decline" meant to be physical or mental? And Fall: to drop or descend under the force of gravity.  Or The Fall: the lapse of human beings into a state of natural or innate sinfulness through the sin of Adam and Eve (oh yah, blame it on the relatives!). Or fall: the season between summer and winter. 

A TIME OF CHANGING PALETTES AND TEXTURES

photos from 09 Sept 2012 followed by 17 oct 2012

more solidago rigida

the last of the solidago reds

last of the yarrow reds

A TIME OF SEED DISPERSAL

solidago seeds

Asclepias taking flight

Bidens hitching a ride...Note this is Bidens cernua NOT Bidens josephia...

A TIME FOR STAGES OF DECLINE

gentian september blooms and october seedheads

SIDETRACKS

--I started wondering just how much of the day is spent with me and Yellar stand idle at red lights. So on 11 Oct, using the stopwatch on my phone, I timed the whole day. Unfortunately it was a day of being totally synchronized with the red lights (in my favour). At the end of the day we were idle for 15 minutes and 21 seconds at red lights. 

--I also started wondering about the hawk population. I've read where they say it is increasing, particularly near/in urban areas. I usually see two hawks north of Dodge at 168th in the dead trees. Their hunting ground is probably Northwest Park.  I also see a resident one on telephone poles and wires on 180th between Maple and Fort. So when we traveled to the Sandhills last weekend, we did a hawk count starting from Hwy 92 going west.  We saw a total of 25 while on the road.

--And lastly to ponder - Theories are great because they don't have to be based on proof.  So, my theory is that GNOMES RULE THE UNIVERSE!!!

gute nacht

Fraxinus, Spodoptera & Bolbocerosoma

The vibrant golds of the Fraxinus...are filling up the landscape.  They are absolutely brilliant this year. And the first cold snap - like maybe tonight - and they will be leafless!  Look hard at the landscape and notice all the places filled with the golds of Ash - now envision that same landscape after the Emerald Ash Borer takes its toll! 

 Spodoptera ornithogalli (yellowstriped armyworm) moving quickly across the "concrete trail" at Shadow Lake. These become moths - they are foliage feeders - overwinter as pupae in soil - note the yellowish strip along each side and 2 black triangular spots on top of most segments. 

Bolbocerosoma farctum (fancy bolbocerine) also discovered moving at lightning speed across "concrete trail" - this guy is a geotrupid beetle meaning earth-boring or dor beetle - his shadow looks like he is raising little hands above his head!  Glad I did not pick him up - as I read they would try to burrow into your hand - and that they stridulate rather loudly when handled!  Stridulate: sound production by rubbing together body parts.  Well, if he would have tried to burrow into my hand I too would have stridulated loudly...by rubbing my hands together to eject the beetle!

This beetle led me to Scarab beetles in general and larvae of white grubs - the presence of same in lawns can attract various vertebrate predators such as skunks and raccoons - your lawn will look like it has been aerated after these animals forage in your lawn for grubs.  This can be noticed in several yards as you drive around town - the drought has reduced the food source - and it is getting closer to winter - and the urban wildlife is not yet carrying a sufficient fat reserve - so it becomes a grubby menu...

The most interesting thing about grubs is they can be identified by the pattern of hairs on the tip of their abdomen - termed a rastral pattern.

And this lastly led me to rain beetles - a most patient beetle as mating activity is triggered by rain - and only the male beetles have wings - the larvae live underground and feed on the roots of oaks and confiers - and they can remain underground for as long as ten years - the females are flightless and also live underground - and their range is limited to the west coast - but when all the planets align and the rain is right - it is said that "the female's phermone is blooming invisibly in the air"...

Sunset, Moonrise, and Beaver Dams

 Sunset at the Preserve

View to west

 Moonrise at the Preserve - Harvest Moon

Turn around and view to east

More Harvest Moonrise at the Preserve

30 Sept 2012 - Hiking Dam Site 15a Tributaries

We started at the bridge on Ida Street and walked south along the west drainage (creek).  Followed the creek south past the power lines, about 1/2+ mile in the section. Looking to see if the beaver dam was still intact and discovered not just that beaver dam but 6 to 7 other dams along that section of creek - and the dams were all different:

some made of sticks and mud

some made with cornstalks dragged from adjacent field (listen to the flowing water)

and one utilizing an old tire.

Lots of ducks are using the creek - particularly gathering under the overhanging trees - also one owl, one hawk - woodpeckers - chickadees - doves and others - but the dominant were ducks. Going back to the cars we took the quicker route through the cornfield - a reminder of too many past project sites!

The east drainage near 168th was far less interesting - and almost no water - but lots of huge walnut trees - and walnuts filling up the small creek channel

The walnut canopy making quite a majestic backdrop - or updrop.  On this drainage we found a young deer - dead - nice little horns - dead long enough to catch that dead odor if downwind - made me think that if words had smells - the word "putrid" would smell like that.

Fetlocks and Zadig

Found this sidebar note in my 2011 journal - "the woolly fetlocks of bison" - no clue - looking further discover - "the joint between the cannon bone and the pastern" - and there is a tuft of hair that grows at this joint - the photo does not show the fetlocks - but it does exhibit some crazy horns.

My serendipitous day continues to the story of the lost camel (The Three Princes of Serendip) - which was based on the life of Persian King Bahram V of the Sassanid Empire - who led me to Voltaire's detective Zadig - who carried me onto C. Auguste Dupin...

Read a 1969 paper on distribution of grouse dancing grounds (leks) - observed that leks tend to be near windmills - and that if the windmill is moved - the grouse move the lek to the new location of the windmill.

Then I came across this research paper entitled "Wildlife Records from Mail Carriers in April 1947" - apparently in the 1940s the Nebr Game Commission used mail carriers to assist with their annual wildlife counts - they termed it an "inexpensive method of getting extensive state observations" - Braxton said these mail carriers were the first "citizen scientists" of today!

And at home, I had to take the hand vacuum to the freezer compartment of the frig as I knocked the lid off the corn meal (which I keep in the freezer) and it spilled over all the frozen food.

Sunrise in Australia

gjjdim,omogmdomom