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Outdoor Almanac Autumn 2008
The Outdoor Almanac is excerpted from Mass Audubon's Sanctuary magazine, which is sent to members four times a year. | September | October | November | December |
September 24 Look for ripening wild grapes along old stone walls. Wild cherries, elderberries, and dogwood berries are ripe. Watch the thickets for feeding migratory birds.
September 22 Autumnal equinox. Days and nights are of equal length. First light frosts may occur about this date. September 29 New moon. Back to top October 3 Green darner dragonflies migrate about this time. Watch for them over sunny meadows.
October 5 First juncos arrive from the north. October 6 Marbled salamanders lay eggs in the rising waters of small ponds. October 9 Watch for squirrel middens on stumps and rocks. October 12 Look inside goldenrod flowers for yellow crab spiders. October 14 Full moon. The Hunter's Moon.
October 17 First heavy frosts may occur about this time. Watch for the drop of hazelnuts. October 18 Watch for daddy longlegs in fields and meadows. October 21 Yellow-rumped warblers migrate.Watch for them in small trees and shrubs and listen for the check call. October 24 Once the leaves are off the trees, look for oriole nests at the ends of willow and elm branches. October 28 New moon. October 29 Watch for large congregations of blackbirds around this time.
Back to top November 6 Mushrooms are still coming up: look for the yellow caps of Pholiota growing on logs, and the vase-shaped clusters of oyster mushrooms on tree trunks. November 9 Flowers of the wood aster are still blooming in protected areas. November 11 Peak migration date for snow buntings. November 13 Full moon. The Beaver Moon.
November 15 Late-migrating raptors such as rough-legged and red-tailed hawks are moving. November 17 Crickets collect under old boards and loose stones. November 19 Fields and meadows are sere and brown by this date. Lawns are still green. November 20 Watch for red dragonflies over sunny meadows on warm days.
November 23 Milkweed pods are still bursting; watch the fields for drifts of seeds.
November 24 Phoebes may still be around by this late date. Watch also for small flocks of migrating sparrows. November 27 New moon. November 30 Watch for robins in wild cherries, dogwood, sumac, and viburnum. Back to top December 4 Witch hazel blooms, the last flowering shrub to blossom. Look for the small yellow flowers in damp woodlands.
December 10 Overwintering thrushes such as robins and bluebirds begin feeding on Virginia creeper berries around this time. December 12 Full moon. The Cold Moon. December 13 Hibernating mammals have disappeared by this date. Chipmunks, skunks, opossums, and raccoons may still be abroad.
December 15 Watch for signs of past summer life in the woodpile such as mouse nests and snakeskins. December 21 Winter solstice; longest night of the year. Many festivals of light take place at this time throughout the world. Back to top
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