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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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