Meteorological fall vs. astronomical fall

Meteorological fall started on September first, but the astronomical fall begins next week on September 22. The birds and animals know when fall is starting, and don't have to have a calendar to tell them.

Temperatures in the mountains generally being to moderate around the first of September, and summer lessen its grip. Temperatures during the day may reach 80, but the nights cool into the upper 50s. Next week, the first cold snap of the season is forecast.

Birds have molted, and have all new feathers now. They are congregating in large groups in staging areas, getting ready to make their annual fall migrations. Hawks ride the thermals daily heading south. Mother Nature is a bit moody this time of the year, and furnishes the mountaintop residents with splendid views of the Valley. Bill Altorp, nature photographer, caught one of Mother Nature's change of season moods.

Fall is knocking at the seasonal change gate

September in the mountains brings gorgeous butterflies to sip nectar from the flowers. The swallow tails seem to be the predominant flying jewel on the mountaintop. The oppressive late afternoon heat seems to not bother them. They puddle a lot.

You will find butterflies gathered on moist spots in your garden, or around the earth close to a birdbath that has just been filled. Butterflies sip the moisture and minerals from the moist earth that they need. It is predominately males that puddle, seeking salt and minerals which they pass to the females during breeding.

If you want to watch butterflies puddle on a regular bases make your own puddle. Fill a medium size plastic flower pot saucer with sand and add water until the mixture become soggy. Select a spot where you can easily watch the butterflies.

Dig the bowl into the ground to a level that is flush with the surrounding dirt. Add about a tablespoon of composted manure or other compost to the sand. You can add a pinch of salt to attract the male butterflies. Include a few rock or clam shells for the butterflies to sun bathe on.

Butterflies also like bits of over ripe fruit such as bananas, apples or pear slices. Leave the fruit supply at least a day so it will ferment. Butterflies enjoy sipping fermented fruit. Do they get a bit tipsy, maybe. Birds do when they eat too much past it prime fruits.

Butterflies puddle from a few seconds to an hour or more.

Contrary to what you may thing, butterflies do not puddle to cool off. They enjoy shady places for resting and cooling. Butterflies, especially males, like to congregate at a favorite puddling site. Maybe they catch up on the latest male butterfly gossip. Keep your puddling spot soggy to attract the most butterflies.

Notice that you rarely see butterflies on cloudy days. Insects are cold-blooded and can’t regulate their body temperatures like humans can. They also need protection from wind, weather and predators. They seek out shady places like shrubs or vines where they sit to keep warm or to cool. There are butterfly feeders that can be purchased to provide nectar. I don’t recommend them for mountain butterfly lovers. The bears enjoy the nectar also, and destroy the feeders, just as they do hummingbird feeders.

The leaves that are turning and falling are due to heat stress. Fall will arrive on time as it has for eons. The stressed leaves and trees do not signal an early fall. The early defoliation that some trees are undergoing now is common when they are under stress, and summer season of intense heat has been challenging for young and old trees. The recent intense heat and humidity has made it difficult for plants to keep up with water and cooling requirements.

Watch for flocks of nighthawks flying around street lights. Waterfowl migration is beginning, and Monarch butterflies will begin their annual migration starting in late August. Early warblers are winging their way through the Valley. Broad wing hawks start moving south in late August to wintering grounds in the tropics. They are easy to spot with their thick bodies and rounded tails. They ride the air thermals conserving energy to sustain them during their long journey south. The hawks start flying between 9 and 10 a.m. when the air is warm.

Keep out plenty of fresh water for drinking and bathing. This is a time of molt for songbirds, so there is a lot of bathing.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Photo by: Tony Dills

September brings out hungry bears on the prowl

The bears in the Swannanoa Valley are on the move looking for food anywhere they can find it. Their natural foods are in short supply this year.

About 75-85 percent of bear diet is vegetable matter. They feed on clover, dandelions, chokeberries, pin cherries, wild plums, blueberries, hazelnuts, acorns and whatever else is available in nature. They also enjoy the larvae of ants, bees and hornets. When natural food becomes scarce, bears seek human food scraps and pet foods.

This year many of the oak trees stressed by prolonged heat dropped immature acorns early, meaning in some spots the mainstay of the bear’s fall diet will be in short supply. Also, the wild blueberries were also few and far between this year. Mid-August is the time when bears enjoy the high sugar content of wild berries. The berries make up the soft mast for wild creatures.

Hungry bears are beginning to search from dusk to dawn for food, and any food will do.

Pick up pet food dishes, do not put out bird feeders, and don’t throw left overs and scraps out for wildlife. Bears associate people with food, and will hang out around humans as long as they find food.

Goldfinches are beginning to molt, and the beautiful yellow and black colors are giving way to the more drab ones of fall. As soon as fledglings leave the nest, goldfinches begin to undergo a complete molt which requires a lot of energy and nutrition. They have an insatiable appetite for sunflower seeds.

The goldfinch is often referred to as a wild canary. It isn’t a canary at all. It is a finch. It is the latest nesting songbird in the Valley. It isn’t until the thistle provides down to line the nest, and seeds to eat that the goldfinches nest. Their favorite seed is black oiled sunflower.

The male goldfinch loses his bright yellow summer feathers, and grows winter ones which turn his color into an olive color. The female is a dull yellow and brown all year long. Her feathers become brighter in the summer months.

Sunrise comes later now, and dusk creeps over the mountains earlier in the evening. Since the summer solstice on June 21, we have lost an hour and a half of sunlight already. It is only about a month now until the fall equinox arrives on September 23. On that day, night and day are equal in length. The year has turned noticeably.

Summer steals away as dusk settles in the valley earlier each day. Step outside at dark and listen to the night criers. September nights continue to be noisy, with insects playing their tunes.

Keep out plenty of clean drinking and bathing water for the birds.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Photos by Bill Altork