Astronomy

From our vantage point in the northern hemisphere of the planet Earth, the stars appear to slowly revolve around Polaris, the north star. Think of the dome of the sky as the inside of an umbrella, with Polaris right in the middle. The umbrella is slowly spinning above us, with any particular point rising above the horizon about four minutes earlier each day or night. For much of the summer the constellation Orion is below the horizon for much of our night and out of view, but as we move into fall you are able to see Orion the Hunter if you stay up for a while after dark. It’s one of the best known constellations, and contains three of the brightest stars in the night sky: Rigel, Betelgeuse, and Bellatrix.

Birds

In early October Dark-eyed Juncos, who spend the summer farther north, start showing up in the Twin Cities area. Some will stay here for the winter, while others will travel farther south. Turkey Vultures leave our area to go farther south for the winter. Some Robins leave for the south, while others stay here through the winter. And Bluejays, Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and Cardinals, among others, stay in this area through the entire year.

Mammals

Deer have changed to their winter gray coats and the bucks have grown antlers. Rabbits are active at dawn and dusk, and squirrels are busy all day long storing food for winter.

Insects

Insects also prepare for winter. Through the summer Boxelder Bugs feed on the developing seeds of Boxelder, Maple, and Ash trees. In the fall they form large groups and leave their host trees to look for a sheltered place to overwinter, which could be your house! Woolly Bear Caterpillars are on the move, seeking somewhere to curl up until spring where they will be hidden from foraging birds. Their bodies produce a kind of “antifreeze” and they nearly freeze solid; in the spring they thaw out, feed for a few weeks, then make cocoons and metamorphose into Isabella Tiger Moths. Mourning Cloak butterflies overwinter as adults, hiding under leaves or tree bark, but they may be active on mild days. And you may still hear crickets chirping on mild fall evenings; a few adults will enter what is called diapause and go into a state of almost suspended animation through the winter and “wake up” in the spring. But most of the crickets we will see next year will hatch from eggs laid this fall.

Plants

A few Sky-blue Asters may still be in bloom. Robins and other birds enjoy snacking on Mountain Ash berries and American Bittersweet. Milkweed seed pods are opening, sending seeds drifting on the wind.

Fungi

Fungi have their very own kingdom, just like plants and animals. Even though they look like plants, fungi are actually more closely related to animals! The bracket or shelf fungi are common at Afton. The part that we see on the outside of a tree or log is the fruiting body. Attached to the fruiting body is what is called the “mycelium” which consists of long filaments that extend into the interior of the tree. Three varieties you might see at Afton are the Sulphur Shelf, the Lacquered Polypore, and the Turkey Tail. The Sulphur Shelf is sometimes called the “Chicken of the Woods”. It grows on living trees, most often on Oaks, and its mycelium eat away the heartwood of the tree causing it to rot from the inside out. The Lacquered Polypore lives on Oaks and Maples and sometimes other hardwoods. Young Lacquered Polypores are shiny on top, as though they had been painted with lacquer. The Turkey Tail takes its name because it looks like a turkey’s tail. Its Latin name is Trametes versicolor. The “versicolor” means “variety in color” and the Turkey Tail can be brown, beige, blue-green, or orange, usually with alternating bands of color.

Weather observations

Here are some weather observations for this week from past years.

Friday, September 26	2016: gusty winds with high in the 60s
Saturday, September 27	2019: temperature falling through the day from 66° at sunrise to the 50s at sunset
Sunday, September 28	2019: sunny and 65°
Monday, September 29	2023: thunderstorm and rain into evening; 2021: high near 80; 2016: sunny and 60s
Tuesday, September 30	2023: 80s and humid; 2007: record rainfall of 1.06”
Wednesday, October 1	2023: record high of 92°; 2019: rain and 50s through day; 2009: record rainfall of 1.29”
Thursday, October 2	2023: tied record high of 89°; 2017: Record 2.18” rainfall

Photo/Image credits

All photos copyright Nina Manzi, except:

• Travis Bonovsky, MN Conservation Volunteer: Bluejay
• Michael Furtman, MN Conservation Volunteer: Dark-eyed Junco
• Dean Lokken: Lacquered Polypore, Rabbit, Turkey vulture
• Bill Marchel, MN Conservation Volunteer: Buck deer