| Nature's Notebook is made up of observations about nature throughout the year from |
August brings noticeable changes in nature. Thrushes continue to sing in low contralto voices, while most songbirds are mute during the months of August. Songbirds rarely sing while they molt. If you are losing worn feathers and do not look your best, there is no need to draw attention to yourself by singing. However, the thrush continues to introduce each day as dawn breaks the sky. Ripe berries are a welcome treat for wildlife this year more so than in past years, because there was such a lack of food in early spring. Now Mother Nature's berries, loaded with natural sugar, are ripe for the taking. The katydids are calling late afternoon through late evening. They will continue until frost silences them. Soon crickets will join them in the nightly insect concert. Warblers are preparing for their fall journey south, as are swallows. They are among the earliest of birds to arrive in the spring, and earliest to head south for the winter. Sometimes you can see bird silhouettes against the sky at night when there is moonlight. Many songbirds migrate at night, and rest and feed during the daytime. By the end of the month, white-tailed bucks will begin rubbing the velvet off their antlers. The timing does vary, depending on the age and health of the buck. Chipmunks are hard at work stuffing their burrows for winter. They take no chances on having to do without during the cold winter months. Most have their cheeks so stuffed with kernels of corn, seeds and whatever else caught their fancy, which their faces look like a balloon ready to pop, and they rattle like a baby rattler when they run. During August, they spend almost every waking second gathering and storing nuts, corn and various seeds. It is not unusual for one chipmunk to store a bushel of nuts, seeds and corn in only three days. These little rodents are literally food gathering and storing machines. Gardeners battle "chippies" every season, and find it hard to get along with their bulb stealing behavior. Not many gardeners have the heart to poison the furry little rodents, because they are cute. Their comical antics often buy them more time with angry gardeners. However, it does not lessen the ranting and raving, and expletives thrown in for punctuation. Bulbs can be protected with screening, or forget tulips and plant just daffodils that the chipmunks do not care about. I've found planting my favorite tulips in barrels, deters the squirrels and chipmunks from stealing them yes. I cover the barrels with wire, and words passes quickly from gray squirrel to chipmunk that it is off limits. Take the wire covering off next spring as the tulips begin pushing the dirt. Gray squirrel tails are almost bare now. During the cold months of winter, they wave banner-like tails that arch over their backs and keep them warm. They also cover themselves with the tail in the nests during the winter cold winds. The bushy tail not only serves as a rudder, but as a balancing parachute as well. Squirrels that have accidentally lost their tails do not sail from tree to free. They hop where they are going. Make sure the wildlife in your backyard has a good supply of fresh water. Keep the birdbath clean to prevent the spread of disease. May you always hear the whisper. |
Dr. Barbara Hootman's vantage point on top of a mountain in Western North Carolina.
| August is a time of peaceful calm in nature |
