A precursor to autumn

Posted 8/21/12

The days are getting shorter and somewhat cooler with Labor Day come and gone and fall just around the corner. However, even during the warmer days of August, there were signs of the impending …

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A precursor to autumn

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The days are getting shorter and somewhat cooler with Labor Day come and gone and fall just around the corner. However, even during the warmer days of August, there were signs of the impending seasonal change. During the last couple of weeks in August, common nighthawks were seen over lakes and rivers just around dusk as they circled overhead, looking for insects to fuel their southward migration. Narrowsburg had a good number during several early evenings.

If you have been watching the deer through the summer, you may have noticed that the fawns are losing their spots. Deer, including fawns, are shedding their summer coats to be replaced by a thicker winter coat that will protect them from frigid temperatures. September is the month that deer change from a reddish to a grayish hue.

Unlike most plants and animals that appear and propagate in the spring, some species become conspicuous only as we head back to school or work at the end of the summer. The appearance of these “late bloomers” is an indication that autumn is not far away, even though the leaves are still green and some folks are getting some late summer swimming in. The images in this week’s column show some of September’s precursors to autumn that can be seen around us now.

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