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The Daily Bucket - signs of fall in the PNW [1]

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Date: 2022-09-01

Salal berries at varying stages of development

August 2022

Pacific Northwest

Suddenly it’s September. Fall is edging in gradually as it does. For us in the maritime Pacific Northwest that means cooler weather, foggy mornings, shorter days. Vegetation has stopped growing, flowers are done, fruits are ripening. Foliage has gone dull and crispy, leaves are starting to fall. Insects are in a dash to get stuff done before closing up shop for the season. Chippies too. Summer migrant birds are gone or gathering to leave (like swallows on power lines). We still have a couple of months before winter sets in but this is a busy season.

From around my neighborhood:

Native crabapple fruits. These small trees are abundant all over the island and got hit hard by tent caterpillars this spring. As you can see, the cats don’t do serious damage: foliage has regrown and fruits developed fine.

Snowberries are ripe. Not a highly popular food for wildlife but welcome in late winter when nothing else is available.

Baldhip rose hips are going fast. They are more attractive to wildlife than Nootka rose hips, based on how long each lasts into winter.

Last of the Orange Honeysuckle berries

Blunderbugs get active in fall

Insects are active, from Blunderbugs (Pacific coast dampwood termite, Zootermopsis angusticollis) to mosquitoes. It’s been a big year for skeeters on the island, likely due to the cool wet spring & early summer we had this year. At least that knocked back the Yellowjackets. But fruit trees didn’t get good pollination this spring, not many apples or pears this fall.

Female Eight-spotted skimmer — please eat lots of mosquitoes!

These are not berries, but wasp galls (Diplolepsis polita) common on out abundant Nootka rose. The larvae inside will overwinter within the galls.

More wildlife —

This Cooper’s hawk has been hanging around, snatching up juvenile yard birds like finches and sparrows. Steep learning curve for young birds.

Townsend’s chipmunks are busily gathering food and storing in dens. They are fond of rose hips, acorns and a multitude of seeds. Lots of territorial warning calls everywhere.

The coming of fall also means winter birds like waterfowl returning home from summer breeding sites. Yay! First of season ducks have already arrived in my local bay.

Hoodies FOS 8/30/22

THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, WATERS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS. WE INVITE YOU TO NOTE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU IN YOUR OWN PART OF THE WORLD, AND TO SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF THE DAILY BUCKET FEATURE, CHECK OUT THIS RECENT DIARY: DAILY BUCKET PHENOLOGY: 11 YEARS OF RECORDING EARTH'S VITAL SIGNS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

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Foggy cooler in the PNW islands today. Temps in high 60s. Calm wind.

WHAT’S UP IN NATURE IN YOUR AREA TODAY?

What signs of fall are you seeing in your neighborhood?

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/1/2120168/-The-Daily-Bucket-signs-of-fall

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