October 12

Sunday, Remi, me and my guest, Harold Brock of Alma hiked at Forest Hill Nature Area. The early afternoon weather was mostly sunny with a temperature of 55 degrees and a steady south wind. Under a clear blue sky, I headed west down the hill, past Mallard Marsh and into Bobolink Meadow where the yellow blanket of Goldenrod from a few weeks ago had been replaced by the beige and browns of fall. The entrance to North Woods was surrounded by colorful Silver Maple leaves. On the path through the woods, I noticed the afternoon sun had penetrated the ever-thinning canopy while on the ground a decaying Beech log was covered with fresh mushrooms. I exited the woods, turned west and circled Succession Field where my feet made a crunching sound as I stepped on remnants of the large Red Oaks nearby. Entering South Woods and hiking along the edge of Swanson Swamp, I was pleased to see the new boardwalk that had been completed yesterday by a group of scouts from Breckenridge. After leaving the wood and turning east, I paused at Artist Overlook where I could easily spot patches of maroon-colored Dogwood bushes against the fading colors of the field. Following south trail, I turned south at Frog Fen, passed Brady Cemetery and turned north into Native Grassland where the pleasing sight of colorful summer wildflowers was now only a memory. At Grebe Pond, I stopped to enjoy the sights and sounds of this beautiful autumn day. Approaching the barn, the brief sighting of a Monarch on an Aster blossom reminded me how once again this year I had seen very few adults and no caterpillars. Finally, we continued north past the barn to the cars, exchanged farewells and left for home.

An aura of autumn

Before snows come

From sunny glades

Colors and shades

Of scarlet and gold

Trees, young & old

Where frost of fall

Envelops it all

In crystalline white

From a longer night

Mother Nature’s glow

Her October show

D. DeGraaf