Fall Wilderness
Animals in Fall
Autumn acts as a signal for various animals to prepare for the cold winter months to come. Different groups of animals prepare in different ways. A colony of ants stores food underground. A brace of ducks flies south, toward warmer weather. How might a leash of foxes, a bale of turtles, a hive of bees or a school of fish prepare for the cold in autumn? What things do you do during autumn?
Autumn is also the time for Halloween! And what would Halloween be without jack-o'-lanterns? Did you know that jack-o'-lanterns were first grown hundreds of years ago in Europe? The Europeans had a Halloween custom of hollowing out a large turnip, carving eyes, a nose and a mouth on it, and lighting a candle inside. The turnip face was supposed to fool demons. Today we use a pumpkin for a jack-o'-lantern. What kind of face would you like to put on this jack-o'-lantern?
Fall in the Forest Preserves
The colder temperatures are causing lakes and ponds to "turn over." That means the surface water is cooling off and sinking to the bottom, which forces the water at the bottom of the lake up to the top. This process increases oxygen levels in the water, something that helps the fish survive the long, cold winter ahead. When a lake turns over, it also stirs things up, which means more food for the fish that need to fatten up for the winter.
Owls are out marking their territory. You can probably hear them hooting in the night. The two most common owls in DuPage County are screech owls and great-horned owls.
Seeds are traveling to new places. Some seeds drop close to the plant that produced them, while others explode out and away. Some seeds hitch rides from animals by sticking to their fur. Acorns, which are seeds for aok trees, are carried to new places by blue jays and squirrels that plan to eat them over the winter. The flower head of one plant called Queen Anne's lace forms a basket filled with seeds. When the weather gets dry and windy, the basket opens and the seeds blow away.
Winter birds, like juncos and tree sparrows, arrive for the winter.
Animals are starting to prepare for winter. Some animals, like the monarch butterfly, migrate, or fly south, to live in warmer temperatures. Other animals, like woodchucks and snakes, hibernate, or sleep the winter away. Still, some animals, like squirrels or deer, remain active all winter long. Those animals send the fall fattening up to get ready for the arrival of cold temperatures, when food is hard to find. Have you ever noticed squirrels gathering acorns before the snow covers everything up?
Leaves turn colors and fall to the ground.
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