For leaves and trees, it’s a dramatic time of year

11:30 PM Saturday, October 24, 2009

Seasons pursuing each other,

the plougher ploughs, the mower mows,

and the winter grain falls in the ground.

— Walt Whitman

This week

The Buzzard Migration Moon waxes through its second quarter this week, becoming completely full on Nov. 2 at 2:14 p.m.

The sun’s declination moves from 14 degrees, 13 on the first of the month to 21 degrees, 32 minutes by Nov. 30. The field and garden day begins to shrink more quickly now throughout Clark County, losing two minutes every 24 hours, as November takes almost an hour from the day’s length.

Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Orion looms in the east late in the evenings of November. By midnight, the Pleiades are almost overhead, and Cancer is rising with Mars. Autumn’s Pegasus is in the western half of the heavens, and Perseus pursues Cassiopeia forever around Polaris. Pisces lies due south, promising the thaws of late February, and Sirius is emerging from the eastern horizon, prophet of the Dog Days of July.

The weather

The period between Oct. 28 and Nov. 1 is often the best time remaining in the year for late harvest and outdoor activities in Clark County. On average, the sun shines more often these days than on any other days for the rest of the year. Record highs for November are almost always set during the first days of the month. In fact, Nov. 1 brings 70 degree temperatures more often than most October days.

Daybook

Today, Oct. 26: Rheumatism in people and livestock increases during cold and damp weather. A little paprika and molasses every day may help to reduce or head off the stiffness.

Oct. 27: Before you let your pastures, lawn and garden rest for the winter, do your soil test and add nutrients as needed. Soil tests after harvest of corn and soybeans let you plan ahead for spring fertilizer requirements.

Oct. 28: Bittersweet has opened, and robin calls are often loud as migration intensifies. Small flocks of sparrows move through the honeysuckles. Trumpet vine leaves are suddenly down, Korean lilac and the red viburnum three-fourths bare. The small blue bindweeds have disappeared, and the small white asters have ended their season.

Oct. 29: High pollen counts are over in Clark County until early next spring. Average mold counts are typically low at this time, too: usually less than 2,000 out of a possible 7,000 grains per cubic meter.

Oct. 30: Now, like at the end of September when leafturn is just starting, the exceptions become the focus in the landscape. In early fall, it is the Judas maples, the maples that turn early, that stand out. At the end of October, it is the occasional tree that keeps its leaves that holds our attention.

Oct. 31: The week just past and the week to come are among the most dramatic of the year. Thirty days ago, the woods were green. Fifteen days ago, the leaves were at their peak; today, most of them are gone or ready to come down. The natural year is almost over; the storms that bring late fall will finish it.

Nov. 1: Queen Anne’s lace often revives along Clark County roadsides. Chicory continues to bloom. Clovers and sow thistles are still common. Many forsythia bushes sport autumn flowers. An occasional jimson weed blooms in the pasture. Hemlock and sweet rocket grow back in the wetlands and ditches.

Mind and body clock

Cloud cover reaches winter levels during the first week of November, and the skies remain darker than their summer counterparts well into April. Although most people are not severely affected by S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorders), almost everyone is influenced in some way by overcast conditions. A quick journal in which you mark up or down arrows on your calendar, along with an “S” for sun and “C” for clouds, can help you track how you react to the changing sky.

Moon and livestock

The moon is overhead after dark this week, making the second-best lunar time (close to dawn) the most sensible time to fish and hunt for food. Dieters, however, may find midnight snacks irresistible. As the Oct. 30 cold front and the Nov. 2 cold front approach, expect hunger to increase in human and beast.

Bill Felker has been watching local weather and writing almanacks since 1984. Contact him at wfelker@woh.rr.com or visit his Web site at poorwillsalmanack.com.

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I will try the paprika and molasses to see if it keep Brother Arthuritis from me. He sticks like glue now that the weather is getting cold and damp. (smiles)

Dottie Ritius
10:33 PM, 10/30/2009

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I'll try the paprika and molasses. Thanks : )

tinman
11:55 AM, 10/25/2009

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