Astronomy
On Saturday the 20th the planet Saturn is at opposition. Opposition is when a planet that has an orbit outside the Earth’s is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. When this happens the planet “rises” in the east at about sunset and is visible all night long. Monday the 22nd is the Fall Equinox. On this day, all over the world, there will be twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness.
Birds
Look for Northern Flickers pausing at Afton on their way south. Flickers are a type of woodpecker, and the only woodpecker we might see here that migrates in the winter. They don’t go far, only to the southern United States. Looking for them pecking into the ground in search of ants, their favorite food, which they slurp up with the help of exceptionally long tongues. Watch for Canada Geese flying south in V-formation. This flight formation helps the geese conserve energy on their journey – the lead birds encounter more wind resistance, and the birds behind them have an easier time flying. When the birds in front get tired they drop back and let other members of the flock move up and do the hard work. Other birds you may see migrating along the St. Croix flyway include Pied-billed Grebes and Wood Ducks. Canada Geese and Wood Ducks only go as far south as they have to in order to find open water and food, but some Pied-billed Grebes travel all the way to Central or even South America.
Mammals
With the arrival of cooler weather squirrels are working even harder to gather food for winter. Gray Squirrels gather nuts and fruits, while Red Squirrels concentrate on the seeds of conifers. Raccoons do not store food for winter; instead they bulk up in fall and store an insulating layer of fat under a thick winter coat. And when it gets very cold they curl up in their dens and can sleep for weeks in a state called “torpor”. This is not true hibernation as raccoons will come out and forage on mild winter days.
Amphibians and reptiles
Look for snakes and turtles basking in the sun. Soon snakes will travel to their hibernating places and turtles will burrow into the mud of riverbanks and lake bottoms. Snakes hibernate in large groups sheltered by rocks or in caves. The hibernating place is called a “hibernaculum”, which is Latin for “tent for winter quarters”.
Insects
A few late Monarchs move through going south to Mexico. You may also see some Great Spangled Fritillaries on the wing, too; they may move south but the adults will not survive the winter. A few weeks ago the females laid eggs on or near violet plants; the resulting caterpillars will go into what’s called diapauses and overwinter in leaf litter near the violets, emerging in the spring when the violets grow leaves. And look for Goldenrod Soldier Beetles . . . on still-blooming goldenrod plants!
Monarchs aren’t the only insects that migrate — Green Darner dragonflies migrate, too! Look up in the evening to see swarms of them on the move. They sometimes migrate with hawks, which doesn’t always work out well for the dragonflies as the hawks eat the dragonflies! The ones moving south are generally called “generation 2” in descriptions of the migration; their grandchildren will return to our area next spring.
Plants
Most wildflowers are done blooming, but several varieties are still flowering. Take a hike and look for Sky-blue Asters, Flat-topped White Asters, New England Asters, White Snakeroot, Canada Goldenrod, Showy Goldenrod, Blue Vervain, and Sawtooth Sunflowers. Sawtooth Sunflowers grow up to six feet tall!
Milkweed and Butterflyweed seed pods are just starting to open. Both have fluffy seeds that drift in the wind.
Club mosses
Club mosses are not mosses at all, but are part of an ancient class of plants called “lycophytes” that first appears over 400 million years ago. Like ferns, lycophytes reproduce by releasing spores, not through seeds. Some look like cedars, and others look kind of like miniature pine trees. Many of them have cone-like structures where their spores develop. Club mosses may cover large areas by sending out “runners”, horizontal stems that run above the ground and give rise to more plants. Club mosses are evergreen, so you might see them at any time of year.
Weather observations
Here are some weather observations for this week from past years.
| Friday, September 19 | 2019: sunny, in the low 80s; 2011: foggy morning, with clearing skies and high in the low 70s |
| Saturday, September 20 | 2023: 80° and sunny; 2022: hot and humid, record high of 92°; 2018: record rainfall of 3.28” |
| Sunday, September 21 | 2019: quarter inch of rain, high in low 70s |
| Monday, September 22 | 2020: high in low 80s, sky hazy with smoke from wildfires |
| Tuesday, September 23 | 2020: high of 84°; 2017: record high of 90°; 2010: record rainfall of 1.98” |
| Wednesday, September 24 | 2017: record high of 90° |
| Thursday, September 25 | 2023: record rainfall of 1.9”; 2022: Breezy and in the 60s; 2018: rain off and on throughout the day |
Photo/Image credits
All photos copyright Nina Manzi, except:
- David Brislance, MN Conservation Volunteer: Northern Flicker
- Keith Henjum: Raccoon
- Dean Lokken: Canada Geese
- Gary Sater: Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Duck
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