It is just about bowhunting season here in the Northeast…..how many signs of the changing seasons have you seen (or missed)?

I am fortunate enough to have the luxury of owning my own horses, so I get to look around in the woods at all times of the year, not just before hunting season. While I was riding the other day, though, I noticed some things that I hadn’t ever given a passing thought to, let alone observed, in the rush of my daily routines. The leaves are just starting to change color – a tinge of red, a touch of yellow and orange, particularly on the vine plants. The wild grape vines have already lost the majority of their leaves, but the grapes are full and ready for the pickin’! And the smell of them! Mmm! Yet another first for me – I’ve never smelled anything like it!

I’ve been riding since I was seven, but it has only been in the past few years, since I have become a hunter, that I have gone horseback riding not only for the sake of riding. Before, it was to just go ride. Now, it seems, although I still enjoy the company of my horse and the sport of riding, I spend most of my time, riding slower, looking around and listening intently for any signs of wildlife. As a hunter, I have become much more aware of my outdoor surroundings, taking notice of things that would normally not catch my eye.

Which leads me back to the signs of this time of year, when fall is just around the corner….the chill in the air that makes you want to snuggle under the covers a little longer each morning….the few seconds longer it takes for my diesel truck to warm up the glo plugs….the heavy fog, hanging low until the sun burns it off mid-morning….all of these things, whether we pay attention to them or not, are indicators that colder temperatures are coming.

Although the wild rose bushes in the fields are bare, the clumps of wild asters and the goldenrod are abundantly in full bloom. (I’ll take a bunch of hand-picked wild flowers any day over florist flowers!) . Sure, I admit, another sign of the times is the sneezing I did while riding through all that goldenrod, but who cares about allergies when bowhunting season is right behind? Not me! )

The milkweed pods are still sticky, looking nine months pregnant at this point, full of the fluffy white "flying things" that carry the seeds far and wide. Even the poison ivy is turning beautiful colors, but please, look from afar! That can make for a horrible time come bow season! (Been there, done that!)

Contrary to when the chipmunks and squirrels come to "visit" while you’re sitting in the woods, now is the time when they are scampering around frantically, as though they won’t have enough to eat.

Heavy rains from the recent hurricanes that came up the East coast left some areas flooded. A swampy area I rode past was now a pond, overflowing onto the path. And, boy! Did I see a HUGE bullfrog!! (I wish I knew more about frogs legs and Cajun cooking, because now I know where there’s a great "frog spot"!)

The absence of things help to signify the changing of the seasons as well. Have you noticed that some things that were here only a short time ago are no longer present? No more peepers by the ponds, or lightning bugs in the yards, or daisies in bloom…. And the lack of bees buzzing on the late-blooming flowers that remain? Or how the shade from the trees is becoming scarce as the leaves change color and fall….the garden vegetables that we couldn’t keep up with at the peak of the season are finished….

Soon the time will change to Daylight Savings time, and an hour will make a big difference in whether you have darkness or light. Already the sun sets here before I’d like! And the moon! Look closely during the day light hours – it is very easily seen in the sky now, waiting for darkness, for its turn to shine….. Much like I am waiting for my turn to shine come bow season here in the east! I’ll keep you posted!