As the temperature starts to fall and the days get increasingly shorter, the natural systems within my phenology landscape reflect the Autumnal changes. Winter is coming; the plants and animals are preparing themselves for the cold season ahead. By this point in late October, not a green leaf remains on any of the trees. The foliage has changed to its vibrant yellows and reds as the chlorophyll breaks down and allows the carotenes in the leaves to show its orange and red pigment while the xanthophylls show the yellow pigments in the leaves. Most of the trees have shed their seeds for the season by now and many have even shed a great deal of their leaves. The wildlife is currently very busy preparing themselves for the coming season. Squirrels are busy gathering nuts to store for the winter. The black bear that lives in the forest of my landscape has been particularly busy lately getting himself ready for his winter hibernation. Canada geese are abundant within my landscape and the surrounding area as they make their migration south. Winter is coming, the animals and the trees know it; even the land seems to know what is coming in just a few short months. The natural world is very much alive and dynamically preparing for the wold months ahead.

References:

Burnham, E. (Photographer). (2020). “A hand drawn map of my landscape.”