Fall

Sometime in late September or early October, the leaves on the deciduous trees in the northern parts of Wisconsin begin to turn colors. And what a display it is! Some leaves turn brilliant red; others fiery orange. Some turn a shimmering gold. There’s even a rich purply-red. Why do leaves turn color?

These color are actually always present in the different leaves, but are masked by chlorophyll which our eyes perceive as green. Once the chlorophyll (which is the substance trees use to make their own food) beings to break down and separate from the proteins in the leaves, the underlying colors show through.

Among the first leaves to change color are the sumacs and Virginia creepers, followed by willows and ashes and then the red and sugar maples. Other trees follow, including birches, hickories and ending, roughly, with the oaks and beeches.

Keep track of the trees on your property or in a park near you. When do they start to turn? Which ones go first?

[Image: Courtesy of Mike Crowley; available for sale at his website Life in the Northwoods]

Once the leaves have fallen from the trees, you can see where many birds have cleverly positioned their nests. Most birds construct new nests every spring, so you are free to take down any you find. Just be careful high up in trees!

It is best to wear leather gloves when handling abandoned birds’ nests. They will guard against the bites of any insects which may be living in the nest. You may also discover that a larger animal, such as a mouse, has moved in! (In that case, leave the nest there).

Place the nest in a plastic bag with a couple of mothballs, and leave it for a few days. The insects will crawl out and die.

Do you know what kinds of birds lived in the nests? Even if you didn’t see the birds when they were living in the nests, you may be able to find out. Check in one of the bird identification guides that includes pictures and descriptions of typical birds’ nests.

[Image: Courtesy of Mike Crowley; available for sale at his website Life in the Northwoods]

Many plants look very different once the growing season is over.

Have you ever seen blacked-eyed Susans without their petals? Before the seeds disperse, the seed heads look like fuzzy brown gumdrops stuck on the ends of sticks!

You can gather these and a number of other plants in the fall to be used in dried arrangements and other craft projects. Poppies and teasels both have interesting seed heads. Milkweed pods are very distinctive, too.

Tall grasses are especially beautiful. Many have interesting flower heads. You’ll find plume-like flower heads on reedgrasses growing in marshes and along streams. You’ll find arching spikelets (the proper term for the flowerheads of grasses) on some of the grama grasses found in dry regions. What do you think the grass growing on your lawn would look like if you didn’t mow it? Let a patch go and find out.

Gather up an armload of grasses and wildflowers and put them in a vase. (Don’t put any water in it). As the plants dry, they’ll arch gracefully, turning soft shades of yellow and brown. Other than a light dusting now and then, your dried arrangements need no care, and will last all winter long.

[Image: Courtesy of Flickr user Laura L. Wentz]

Owls are among the birds that are permanent residents in much of the United States. They are nocturnal, but even if you’ve never seen one, you’ve probably heard one. “Hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo” hoots the great horned owl (whose “horns” are really tufts of feathers). “Who cooks for you all?” cries the barred owl.

You can find where owls live by looking for their pellets. Because birds have no teeth, they swallow their food whole. For owls (and other birds of prey) this means bones and all! What these birds can’t digest they eliminate. Instead of passing this hard matter through their intestinal tracts, it is coughed up out of their beaks as pellets.

Pellets vary in size and shape from species to species, but most are oblong, with bits of bone, fur and feathers sticking out. Fresh pellets are covered with a slimy mucus (all the better to slip out with!); weathered pellets are dry and hard. Look for pellets at the bases of trees, and in barns (where barn owls live).

Dissect a pellet to find out what the bird has been eating. Break one in half and soak it in warm water until it loosens up. Pour off the water and pick the pellet apart with a toothpick or a darning needle. Can you identify any of the tiny bones?

[Image: Courtesy of Flickr user Kasey Smith]

Leaves come in all shapes and sizes — some are squat, some are long and skinny. Each has its unique design of veins and lobes. Most leaves are simple (this means there is one blade). Some are compound (each blade is divided into three or more leaflets).

Leaf Prints

You can really see these differences in leaves when you make leaf prints.
You can make prints from the leaves that are turning, as well as the leaves from houseplants and other garden plants. (Just make sure you ask before you trim any plants!). Use leaves to print patterns on wrapping paper and note cards. Or use them to adorn trays, gardening pots, and drinking glasses.
You can use poster paints for printing cards with, but acrylic paints work best wherever you want a waterproof design.

Paint a little paint on the underside of the leaf where the veins are more pronounced and make a better print. Carefully place the “inked” leaf where you want the image printed. Cover the leaf with a piece of folded paper toweling. Roll a brayer (a small roller used for making prints), a rolling pin, or a spoon over the paper with firm strokes. Remove the paper towel and carefully lift the leaf. Presto!

Make Leaf Stencils

Leaves can also be used as stencils, which makes a reverse impression. This technique works best with pressed leaves. Keep the leaves in place with small pieces of tape folded over itself, and placed on the underside of the leaves. With a small sponge, or stubby bristle brush, dab paint around the outline of the leaves. The leaf shapes will show up white or whatever color paper you’re stenciling on.

You can also use the splatter technique. Dip an old toothbrush into watery paint and draw a popsicle stick across the bristles to make the paint splatter. This is a messy activity at best! Make sure you protect yourself and your area from the flying paint.

Make Leaf Rubbings

Fleshy leaves are good for making leaf rubbings. Here pressed leaves just don’t work as well as fresh.

Place the leaves wrong side up – – that is, with the raised veins showing. Place a sheet of lightweight paper over the leaves and carefully feel where they are. Rub over them with the flat side of a crayon. You can even match the leaf colors by choosing crayons that are close in hue.

Try using shoe polish instead of crayons. Polishes come in an array of autumn colors. Remember to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from stains.

[Image: Courtesy of Flickr user Todd Klassy]

Want to command your own fleet of ships? Make some boats from walnut shells!

You can make simple boats from walnut shell halves, modeling clay, toothpicks and small squares of paper. Press a little clay into each shell half, stick in the toothpick masts, and add the paper sails. Make different designs (or numbers) on each sail, and you’ll be able to race the boats and know who’s won. Launch the boats on a moving stream, and watch them go!

With your parents’ permission and help, outfit your little boats with birthday candles instead of masts. This might be something nice to do on your birthday! Light them, and set them out on a body of still water, such as a swimming pool, or small pond. (Make sure you collect the shells when you’re all done). Lit at twilight, these make an enchanting sight.

[Image: Courtesy of Flickr user ohnectarine]

And regal you shall feel, sporting a crown made from the richly colored leaves of the maple tree!

You don’t have to use maple leaves, of course. Any pretty, flat leaves will do. What kinds can you find?

Make a long chain of leaves by piercing the stem of one leaf into another. Pull the stem through as far as it will go. (The knobby ends of the stems will help keep them from pulling out of the slits in the leaves). The next one you add to the chain will hide the stem. Continue in this way until you have enough to go around your head. Make a circle by poking the last stem into the very first leaf you used.

How is that, your majesty?

[Image: Courtesy of Flickr user mrdark97]

In the autumn, you might come across some solitary bees and wasps flying around. Maybe a lone bald-faced hornet, or a yellowjacket. Or even a fuzzy bumblebee. These are the queen bees and wasps, the only members of their colonies to live through the winter. While you are watching, the queens are searching for a place to hibernate. Can you find where they finally settle?

What has happened to all the other bees and wasps? The details vary somewhat from species to species, but generally the female workers and the male drones all die in the fall. (The drones first mate with the queens). The following spring, the queens will come out of hibernation and look for a place to lay the eggs that will become the next generation of workers and drones.

Honeybees are the only bees that remain active year-round. Their winter habits are somewhat different.

Bald-faced hornets and bumblebees hibernate underground. Polistes wasps frequently spend the winter within the walls of old houses.

[Image: Courtesy of Flickr user milesizz]