Explore Outdoors ~ almost a leaf skeleton

 Beech trees are notorious for hanging on to some of their dead leaves all winter. That trait is called marcescence (mar-SES-ents) . Beech trees do it; so do oaks. When I walk along the road on a windy day, I can hear the beech leaves rattle and shake. The other day I took a closer look at one of the beech leaves. It looked a bit like a stained glass window, but without colored glass.

Next time you're out walking 

look for leaves lingering on limbs. Notice their shape and color, whether they have jaggedy edges, and what kind of tree they are on.

Explore Outdoors ~ Frosted Leaves

 Fall is a beautiful time where I live: leaves of all colors cling to the trees, shining like stained glass in the early morning sun. They can also be beautiful once they've fallen - especially when frost outlines the ribs and margins.

What frosty beauty do you see where you live?

Explore Outdoors ~ Home, from a leaf's point of view

 The other day I got to wondering: what does a fallen leaf think? So I got down to the level of an oak leaf and looked at the world from its point of view. What was it looking at? 

Home! Or at least the home it used to have before the big wind storm... 

 

 

 

What do you discover when you look at the world from the vantage point of the leaves (or flowers) in your yard?

Explore Outdoors ~ Smell the Leaves

Last week I was scuffling through the fallen leaves (on a country road in Vermont) - listening to the rustle and crunch - and I noticed that the air smelled sweet. Maybe it was all the sugar maple leaves?

 

 

This week pay attention to the leaves that have fallen:

• what do they sound like?
• what do they smell like?

 

Explore Outdoors ~ Almost Snowcones

 When the beech leaves dry up over winter, they curl into cones - perfect for catching snow. Some years I find perfect snowcones. This year, not so much. But still, they're fun to find on a winter walk.

How do the leaves in your neighborhood catch the snow?

Explore Outdoors ~ I thought this was a Desert Plant!

 Last fall I discovered some yucca plants growing in one of the yards down in the village. It surprised me because I think of yucca as a desert plant, not one found in northeast gardens! But they have a wide distribution across the US and even up into the southern Atlantic states.

 The cool thing about yucca plants is that their leaves have lots of fibers curling off - I wrote about them in a previous post.

 

 

Those fibers look fragile, but if you spin them together they can make a pretty sturdy string.

 

As fascinated as I am about yucca fibers (and I am, because I enjoy twining and spinning anything from milkweed to grasses), I found their seedpods even more interesting.

The seeds themselves are flat, round-ended triangles, and thinner than I expected. I planted a bunch this spring and managed to get half-a-dozen seedlings (about 50% germination). The seeds took a long time to germinate, and the seedlings are slow-growing. On the plus-side, they seem to tolerate benign neglect. 

Though I may have to bring them inside for winter ...

Explore Outdoors ~ Nature's Window

 

I love the way snow clings to beech leaves. It collects in the curls and hollows, along veins and ridges... and pulls my attention to the leaf details. This one, for example. Who gnawed that picture window in it? And do you notice the points along the margin?

What do you notice about winter leaves this week?

Explore Outdoors ~ Leaves are Habitat

 

I did not rake my leaves this year. I know! How slothful of me! But here's the thing: fallen leaves create habitat for any number of tiny creatures. Those leaves provide a winter home for butterfly and moth caterpillars and pupae. Even adults! Here's what Justin Wheeler says on the  XERCES Society blog:

Great spangled fritillary and wooly bear caterpillars tuck themselves into a pile of leaves for protection from cold weather and predators. Red-banded hairstreaks lay their eggs on fallen oak leaves, which become the first food of the caterpillars when they emerge. Luna moths and swallowtail butterflies disguise their cocoons and chrysalises as dried leaves, blending in with the “real” leaves.

Leaves also provide homes for spiders and snails, worms, beetles, and other tiny critters that provide meals for chipmunks, birds, and amphibians. Sure, amphibians aren't fans of frozen dinners, but they appreciate the plump insects that take flight in spring.

Explore Outdoors ~ Fall in the Garden

 The cool thing about gardens is that they have different personalities throughout the seasons. Purples and pinks predominate in spring, yellows in the summer, joined by purples in August, and by late fall it's mostly faded petals, silky white milkweed parachutes, and ... brilliant red blueberry leaves!

 Notice the colors - and textures - in gardens around you this week.

Explore Outdoors ~ Sunlit Leaves

 

Last week I noticed that most of the trees nearby had lost their leaves - except for these few that look like paintbrushes dipped in sunlight.

Fall is the season when deciduous trees drop their leaves. But they don't all turn color at the same time, and they don't drop their leaves at the same time. Autumn comes gradually, with colors changing over the month and leaves falling in their own time. And there are always a few stubborn trees - a couple oaks this year - that cling to a bunch of leaves long after the rest have floated, whirled, and blown away.

What do you notice about the trees in your neighborhood this week?

Explore Outdoors ~ A Leaf's Point of View

 

This week, look at the world around you from another point of view ~ perhaps that of a leaf or a pinecone on the ground. 

• What do you notice?
• What do you smell?
• What are the textures of your neighboring leaves?
• Who is hiding under you?

Explore Outdoors ~ A Fall Walk in the Woods

 Last week we had a few glorious days filled with sunshine and temps somewhere in the 50s (F). The sort of weather that tempts beetles to wander across the lawn, and bees to visit the still-flowering asters. So I headed up the woods road to see what I could find. 

 

 

 

On the east side of the house, the forsythia has decided to show off its fall colors AND brighten up the season with flowers. I was attracted to the contrast between leaf and petal.

 

 

Then, up into the woods, crunching through a new-fallen carpet of leaves. But look! There's still a lot of greenery, so more colors on the way.

 

 

I saw a lump on the underside of fallen oak leaf. Upon closer inspection, I discovered it is hard, and covered with bumps and those wild "hairs" - it is most likely a gall made by a gall wasp.

 

 

Walking through the hayfield I came across this wolf spider hanging out on a sunny leaf. I love looking at the details of aging leaves...

 

 

This week, go for a walk in a park or meadow - as wild a place as you can find. What fall treasures will you discover?

Explore Outdoors ~ Watching the Season Change

 

The first signs of fall came in mid-September: a single leaf nestled amongst plantain and dandelion leaves. A week later, more leaves were checking out their new seasonal wardrobe, but still clinging tightly to their branches. 

 

 

Meanwhile, maple samaras formed drifts on my porch: sugar maple, striped maple, boxelder. Samaras are the papery winged seeds that helicopter through the air as they are let go from the trees. Turkeys and finches eat the seeds, and occasionally squirrels and chipmunks do. You can, too, if you want to put in a little effort. It's a bit like shelling peas, and you might want to roast the seeds.... here's an article sharing how to eat a maple seed.

 

 

What seasonal changes do you notice in your neighborhood?

Explore Outdoors ~ Becoming a Skeleton

 

I usually find leaf skeletons in the spring, after months of rain and snow has mouldered away the tender parts, leaving the vascular tissue (the "bones"). But sometimes I find the occasional leaf turning to skeleton before leaving home - helped along by fungi, I'm sure.

This week, head outside and look for leaf skeletons. If you don't want to wait around for spring, you can make your own. It is fun for kids, but adult supervision is needed. Here's how.

Explore Outdoors ~ Gold Falling from the Sky

 

Early in the morning, the first rays of light turn the trees brilliant gold. It's like the leaves are burning with a fire inside of them. They may look like gold on the trees, but close-up you can see they've been battered by wind and pests. They also have their own personalities.

This week, get to know a leaf or two.

Finding Fall Treasures

On a Gold-Blooming Day: Finding Fall Treasures 

by Buffy Silverman

‎32 pages; ages 4-9

Millbrook Press, 2022

theme: autumn, seasons, poetry

On a gold-blooming, bee-zooming, sun-dazzling day…

creatures are busy! Crickets are chirping, butterflies slurping, squirrels nut-burying, mushrooms popping up after a fall rain, and leaves are falling! 

What I love about this book: The language! Lines rhyme and make it a perfect read-aloud. And the language is lively – as in, there are lots of wonderful verbs used in oh-so-many ways. They show action (seeds drift) and describe the sort of day it is (nut-crunching).

I love the photos. They are big, bold, filled with fall colors and scenes of nature.

And (of course) I love the back matter: four pages packed with additional information about the plants and animals you find in fall, a glossary, and a list of books for curious young naturalists (and the adults who read the books to them).

I’ll be interviewing Buffy over at the GROG Blog on the First Day of Fall, but today I just had to ask her One Question about her book!

Me: What are some of your favorite words from the fall season?

Buffy: My favorite fall words from On a Gold-Blooming Day are: "Cranes rattle. Fish skedaddle." In the fall, sandhill cranes gather in large numbers in the swampy end of the lake near our house, rattling late into the night (in fact, I can hear a few cranes right now!) Lots of animals skedaddle during autumn, hurrying to find food or make other preparations for winter. Although it still warm in Michigan, I am looking forward to crisp, crunchy, goose-honking weather!

Beyond the Books:

Go on a fall treasure hunt. Notice the different kinds of leaves on the trees and see if any are changing color. It might be too early – but that’s OK because you can do this activity all fall until the last leaf falls. While you walk, collect different kinds of leaves, acorns, sycamore balls, seeds, and other things for some leaf-art activities.

Make leaf rubbings and leaf people. You can make leaf people by gluing leaves to a sheet of paper like this, or you can create 3-D leaf people puppets like this.

Write your own list of Fall Words. They could be colors, sounds, smells of fall or the things you notice animals and plants doing. If you have crayons, you can write the words in fall colors. Turn your words into a Fall Chant or a song or a wish-list or …. Whatever you want to do.

Need more ideas for celebrating the coming of fall? Check out this list of 100.

Buffy Silverman is a member of #STEAMTeam2022. You can find out more about her at her website, https://buffysilverman.com/

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Catching Snow Leaf by Leaf

 

Some leaves cling tight to their trees - even when all their friends have twirled and floated and wobbled earthward. Those left behind get tattered by the wind. Sometimes, those rips and tears create tiny shelves and pockets where snow collects. Sometimes leaves curl as they dry, forming funnels and cones that create safe havens to shelter snowflake gatherings.

Snow collects on twigs and branches, on abandoned bird nests and clotheslines and spiky flower heads. Where do you find snow collecting in your yard and neighborhood?

Explore Outdoors ~ Blueberries are Red

 

Blueberries are blue 

unless.... they are leaves in November! 

This week take a closer look at the leaves that are still hanging onto twigs of shrubs and trees. Look at them from the top. Look at them from below. Look at their edges and their middles.

On my leaves I notice spots and dots. Who knew that blueberry leaves had freckles?

What do you notice about the leaves you see?

Explore Outdoors ~ A pocket of green

 

One of the cool things about this time of year - aside from the temperature - is the contrast of colors I find in our yard. Reds, greens, golds... there is so much beauty right under our feet.

This week take a look at the ground around you. What colors do you see? What kinds of plants and leaves are on the ground? What does it smell like and sound like as you walk along?

Explore Outdoors ~ Golden Leaves

 

October leaves

turn sunlight into gold ~

magic

 

This week, go leaf-looking. Some trees may be turning brilliant colors; others may not change colors until later in the fall. 

• Collect leaves of different colors.
• Notice their shapes.
• Look at their edges. Are they smooth? Jagged?
• Grab a crayon and piece of paper and make a leaf rubbing. 
• Press some leaves. 
• Write a haiku or other poem about leaves you see.