Flora and fauna under a late autumn sky

My Norway maple often graces us with brilliant reds and oranges, but this year it is mostly a muted yellow as the leaves turn. New tender leaves are luminous, backlit by the late-day sun. A spray of young rhododendron leaves catches one small, soft leaf on its way to the ground. This deciduous tree goes dormant in winter, hence the shedding of leaves to conserve energy.

At the local cemetery, all is quiet, with vistas of cloud designs above rows of stones, as if a child created them with finger paints: long sweeping strokes, small patterns of dashes, and swaths of pale colors. At the river, bronzes, rusts, and sepias hold sway. At the edges, dried leaves, grasses, and berries are silhouetted against the water.

At the Mount Auburn cemetery, gingko bilobas are shedding their leaves. Some special years, these leaves flow into a river of pure molten gold, spreading a gilt carpet below. 

Many are not aware that evergreens also drop some foliage in the fall. Cedars turn a bright orange color, making them the most striking. These are evergreen conifers, and the shedding is called ‘cedar flagging’. This should not indicate any tree decline. One tree at the edge of Auburn lake is eye-catching, reflected in the still pond.

There are now many bare trees. Touches of color create a muted scene, with rays of sun illuminating white funerary angels, as if warming them on this chilled day. The weeping European beeches are the last to come into leaf in the spring. They look creepy and dead. Then one day a haze of green appears at the flowing hemline. And soon the entire tree is green! Now it holds onto every yellowish-brown leaf, taking its time to shed them for the winter.

At the public dock, geese amaze by their feats of landing and sliding on water, chasing one another, wildly, as noisy sprays shoot up. This could be territorial, or simply exuberant play. I would love to know. They settle and swim in a group downstream. One, however, stands on an outcrop to preen, still ‘knee-deep” in water. Its beak dips in to preen feathers underwater! Mallards swim around a massive, sculptural fallen tree branch near shore, making characteristic quacking noises. A pair of mute swans preens, as the symphony and cacophony of calls whirl around them.

I spot a scruffy duck with the mallards. Unlike mammals, female ducks have a single functioning ovary. If diseased, it stops producing hormones and the bird spontaneously turns into a male which in time can mate and fertilize eggs! There is a transitional period, at first hormonal, then physical. The plumage growth can take several months to up to a year. Many duck species are capable of this transition, including dabbling ducks, eiders,  goldeneyes, mergansers, scoters, and more.

Canada geese at the edge of the cove bob and dip for nourishment underwater. Underfeathers are white, and the feet paddle to counteract buoyancy. Two are together, and when they bob simultaneously, the bottom halves seem to pop up like comic characters waving those feet at us. They can carry on this behavior for a long time, grazing on sea grasses, small crustaceans, and tiny fish. They create ripples in the darkening dusky water at the early end to the day,

One day there are deep grooves around a large tree trunk, about a yard from the ground. This is evidence that a huge beaver with massive front teeth has sought nourishment under the bark and possibly wood to build its impressive dam. It probably stood tall to gouge this out, balancing on its hard paddle-like tail. Often they fell trees, leaving a “pencil point” behind, and they are savvy enough to know which way the tree will fall. The mystery of the nearby fallen log in the water is solved!

Close to the end of the day, we are treated to a huge hawk devouring a large squirrel on a tall naked branch, furiously yanking out tufts of fur to gain access to its meal. 

Even close to home, nature does not cease to amaze; there is always something new and interesting if we observe closely.