What to notice outside around Sudbury in September
88 things from the field guide you can notice around Sudbury in September.
Sky
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime skyThe moon spends almost as much time up in daylight as at night, and on the right days it sits plainly in the blue sky.
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlightIce crystals high in the atmosphere can bend sunlight into a pale ring around the sun or bright patches on either side of it.
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunsetWhen broken clouds and haze meet a low sun, bright and dark bands can fan across the sky near sunrise or sunset.
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the yearWhere the sun sets on your skyline slides north through spring and south through autumn, fastest near the equinoxes and nearly still at each solstice.
- Why your noon shadow more than doubles from September to DecemberFrom the September equinox to the December solstice the midday sun drops from about 47 to about 24 degrees here, and your noon shadow more than doubles.
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern MassachusettsFrom eastern Massachusetts the Big Dipper is circumpolar, circling Polaris once a day, though the tip of its handle skims the horizon at its lowest.
Weather
- First frost in eastern Massachusetts, and what it showsA cold, calm morning can outline leaves, seed heads, webs and tracks in frost crystals that vanish soon after sunrise.
- Morning dew and the dew point: why grass is soaked without rainWhen surfaces cool below the dew point, water vapor condenses into droplets on grass, cars and webs by morning.
- Dew on spider webs: the morning every web in the yard showsFine dew droplets outline webs that are almost impossible to see in dry air, so one still, humid night can reveal every strand around the yard.
- Valley fog: why low fields fill with fog on calm fall morningsOn clear, calm fall nights the ground loses heat, cool air slides downhill, and by dawn low fields and river meadows hold pools of fog that clear in hours.
- Why sound carries so far on cold, clear, calm nightsOn a clear calm night the air at your feet ends up colder than the air above, and that flipped layer bends sound back down so it carries much further.
Birds
- Chimney swifts swirling into old chimneys at dusk before migrationBefore migrating, chimney swifts in eastern Massachusetts gather at dusk and pour into big old chimneys to roost, hundreds swirling in like water.
- Common nighthawk migration over eastern Massachusetts at sunsetFrom mid-August into early September, common nighthawks drift south over eastern Massachusetts in loose evening flocks, catching insects as they go.
- When ruby-throated hummingbirds leave MassachusettsRuby-throated hummingbirds leave Massachusetts between late August and late September, feeding hard at late-summer flowers and feeders until they go.
- Why goldfinches turn patchy gray-brown in late August and SeptemberAfter their late nesting season, American goldfinches molt in late August and September, trading lemon yellow for gray-brown and looking patchy between.
- Canada goose families merging into big flocks after the summer moltOnce the flightless summer molt ends in late July, Canada goose families in eastern Massachusetts pool into growing flocks that graze fields and use ponds.
- Young eastern screech-owls calling after dark in late summerIn late summer the year's young eastern screech-owls leave their nests and call in the dark, a shivery whinny or a soft trill, while seeking territories.
- Broad-winged hawk migration: kettles over New England in SeptemberFor a brief window centered on mid-September, broad-winged hawks pour out of New England in soaring flocks called kettles, bound for South America.
- Fall warbler migration through Massachusetts yards and treesWarblers move south through Massachusetts from late August to late October, drab and silent in fall, and the way to find them is to follow the chickadees.
- White-throated sparrows returning to Massachusetts yards in fallFrom mid-September, white-throated sparrows that summered in the north woods return to Massachusetts yards, scratching in the leaf litter and whistling.
- Blue jays carrying and hiding acorns in fallA blue jay can carry up to five small acorns at once and may hide 3,000 to 5,000 nuts in a season, so the loud jay parties in the oaks are a harvest crew.
- Wild turkey flocks in fall: hens and broods joining forcesIn fall, hens and their grown broods join forces, and New England turkey flocks commonly hold several families, 40 or more birds, sweeping across fields.
- Starling flocks twisting in unison: why they fly as one shapeAutumn starling flocks in Massachusetts fly as one shape-shifting cloud, turning in unison because no falcon can pick one bird out of a swirl of thousands.
- Barn swallows gathering on wires before fall migrationIn late August, barn swallow families line up on roadside wires as the last chicks fledge; most leave for Central and South America by mid-September.
- Why goldfinches nest in late summer, months after other songbirdsGoldfinches raise chicks after other songbirds are done, waiting for late summer, when seed fluff for nest lining and ripe seeds for chicks arrive at once.
- Bald cardinals and blue jays at the feeder: molting, not sickLate-summer feeders turn up cardinals and blue jays with bare black heads. Most are this year's young losing every head feather at once in a first molt.
- Hearing migrating songbirds call overhead at nightMost songbirds migrate after dark and call as they fly, and from an ordinary yard the thrushes are within earshot: a soft short peep from the black sky.
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tailCrows and common ravens are both big black birds, and the tail settles it at a glance: a crow's opens like a fan, a raven's like a wedge.
Insects
- Monarch migration through Sudbury: the generation that flies to MexicoMonarchs emerging in eastern Massachusetts from about mid-August put breeding on hold, live for months, and fly all the way to mountain forests in Mexico.
- Green darner dragonfly migration through the NortheastFrom late August into fall, common green darners stream south through the Northeast, a dragonfly migration flown by the offspring of the spring arrivals.
- The late-summer night chorus of crickets and katydidsAs August settles in, eastern Massachusetts nights fill with fall field crickets, shimmering ground crickets, and true katydids up in the treetops.
- Cicada shells on tree trunks: what the empty brown husks areA brown husk on a tree trunk is the outgrown skin of a dog-day cicada nymph that climbed up after years underground and split open as a winged adult.
- How orb weaver spiders spin a new web after darkMany orb weavers eat their worn web and spin a whole new wheel in about an hour after dark, so the crisp web you find at breakfast is often brand new.
- How water striders stand on a pond's surface without sinkingWater striders stand on the surface film of eastern Massachusetts ponds on water-repellent, hairy legs, denting it into dimples without breaking through.
- Cricket chirps and temperature: why the chorus slows as nights coolCrickets are cold-blooded, so the tempo of their chirping tracks the evening air: brisk at dusk and slower as a late-summer night cools off.
- Moths at the porch light on warm summer nights around SudburyA single porch light on a warm, still night draws a small sample of the many moths already out in the dark around a Sudbury yard.
- Goldenrod and asters: late flowers that feed bumble bees and monarchsGoldenrods and asters bloom into fall in New England, and their pollen and nectar carry bumble bees and migrating monarchs when little else is flowering.
- Woolly bear caterpillars crossing roads in fallThe black-and-rust fuzzy caterpillars crossing pavement in fall are woolly bears seeking winter shelter, where they freeze nearly solid and thaw in spring.
- Large milkweed bugs crowding milkweed seed pods in late summerLate-summer milkweed pods draw crowds of large milkweed bugs, adults and nymphs together, in orange warning colors borrowed from the plant's toxins.
- Fall webworm tents on branch tips: the silk nests explainedThe gauzy silk bags wrapping whole branch ends on cherries and other hardwoods are fall webworm nests, with the caterpillars feeding safely inside.
- Praying mantis season: full-grown mantises and their egg casesSeptember is peak mantis season, when the year's mantises are full size in gardens and meadows and females leave foam egg cases on stems for winter.
- Why a cricket starts chirping inside the house in SeptemberWhen nights turn cool in September, field crickets slip indoors for warmth, so a chirp starts up behind the bookcase or under the basement stairs.
- Ballooning spiders: young spiders flying away on silk threadsOn warm fall days young spiders climb to a high point, let out silk and ride the wind, a trip that can cover inches or hundreds of miles.
- Tomato hornworms covered in white wasp cocoonsA green tomato hornworm studded with white capsules has been farmed from the inside by a tiny braconid wasp, and the capsules are its next generation.
- Hickory tussock caterpillars: look, but do not touchThe white caterpillar with black tufts crossing the trail is a hickory tussock seeking a spot for its cocoon, and its barbed hairs give many people a rash.
- Flying ant day: winged ants swarming after rain in late AugustOn a warm late-August day after rain, ant colonies send out winged queens and males for one mating flight; around Boston it is called the Labor Day ant.
- Milkweed tussock caterpillars eating milkweed leaves in gangsFlip a ragged milkweed leaf and you may find a gang of fuzzy black, orange and white milkweed tussock caterpillars eating it down to lace.
- Daddy longlegs, or harvestmen: not spiders, and not venomousThe daddy longlegs on the shed wall is a harvestman, not a spider: one body piece, no silk, no fangs, no venom. The most venomous spider story is a myth.
- Bald-faced hornet nests: paper globes in the trees, seen from afarThe gray, teardrop-shaped paper globe in a tree has grown all summer and can hold 100 to 400 hornets; admire the chewed-wood architecture from a distance.
- Asian lady beetles gathering on sunny house walls in fallMulticolored Asian lady beetles swarm onto sun-warmed outside walls each fall, favoring south- and west-facing sides of light-colored houses.
- Woolly alder aphids: the white fluff drifting through the air in fallSome small white tufts drifting through the air in fall are woolly alder aphids, wrapped in waxy threads and flying from alder to silver maple for winter.
Plants
- Jewelweed seed pods that burst open at a touchAlong wet, shady edges in eastern Massachusetts, ripe jewelweed pods are coiled springs that burst at the slightest touch and fling their seeds away.
- Acorn crops, and why a heavy year draws wildlife under the oaksOak acorn crops swing widely from year to year and tree to tree, and a heavy year concentrates squirrels, deer, turkeys and more wherever acorns fall.
- Oak galls: the bumps and balls on oak leaves, and what makes themThe bumps and balls on eastern Massachusetts oak leaves are galls, tissue the tree grew around a tiny wasp or other insect, and most do the tree no harm.
- Goldenrod in late summer: a crowded table for bees and butterfliesLate-summer goldenrod patches in Massachusetts gather bees, butterflies and dozens of other insects onto a few bright yellow plumes as other flowers fade.
- Ghost pipe: the white forest plant with no green, June to SeptemberGhost pipe rises in shaded Massachusetts woods from June through September, a waxy white plant with no chlorophyll that feeds through fungi on tree roots.
- Next spring's tree buds, already formed at the twig tips by fallTrees in eastern Massachusetts build next spring's buds near the end of the growing season, so by fall every twig tip already carries next year.
- Milkweed pods splitting open to release silky seedsCommon milkweed pods on Massachusetts roadsides and meadow edges split in late summer and early fall, each sending off a hundred or more seeds on silk.
- Why leaves change color in fall: the yellows were there all alongThe yellows and oranges of a Massachusetts fall sit hidden in leaves all summer, revealed when shortening days shut down the green chlorophyll over them.
- Goldenrod or ragweed: which one causes fall allergiesGoldenrod gets blamed for fall allergies, but its pollen is too heavy and sticky to fly. The real culprit is drab green ragweed, blooming at the same time.
- Virginia creeper and poison ivy: the first vines to turn red in fallWeeks before the trees change, Virginia creeper goes deep crimson and poison ivy turns orange and red while everything behind them is still green.
- Red maples in New England swamps: the first trees to turn in fallNew England fall color starts in wet spots: red maples, the swamp maples, turn in low ground weeks before the hillsides, sometimes before Labor Day.
- Wild fox grapes ripening along New England wood edges in SeptemberThe fox grape, wild parent of the Concord, ripens on New England wood edges in September, and a ripe tangle can smell of grape jelly before you see fruit.
- Queen Anne's lace curling into bird's nests as it goes to seedAs its seeds ripen, each flat white Queen Anne's lace flower curls into a brown cup like a little bird's nest, and fields hold both stages side by side.
- Pokeweed berries and purple stems: a look-only plantAlong wood edges and fences, pokeweed grows reddish-purple stems taller than a person, with drooping grape-like clusters ripening green to purple-black.
- Why poison ivy turns red so early in fall, and what the red is forRoadside and stone-wall poison ivy goes brilliant red before any maple starts while its berries turn white. The color signals birds that the fruit is ripe.
- Staghorn sumac: scarlet fall leaves and red fruit into winterStaghorn sumac colonies along roadsides and field edges turn scarlet, orange and gold in early fall, and female plants keep upright red fruit into winter.
Mammals
- Big brown bats hunting over yards at dusk in eastern MassachusettsThe most common bat in Massachusetts suburbs, the big brown bat, leaves its roost in the evening to hunt insects over yards, ponds and field edges.
- Why gray squirrels bury nuts one by one each fallEach fall gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time across yards and woods, and the caches they never dig up can sprout into oaks, hickories and walnuts.
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edgesBeavers work mostly at night, so pointed stumps, pale wood chips and paired tooth grooves along a pond edge are often easier to find than the animal.
- Chipmunks stuffing their cheeks to stock a winter larderIn September and October each chipmunk dash across a yard is a delivery run, cheek pouches holding about 72 sunflower seeds, bound for tunnels underground.
- Woodchucks fattening up for hibernation in late summer and fallA woodchuck grazing a field edge is building the fat it lives on all winter: it is one of Massachusetts' few true hibernators and eats nothing till spring.
- Buck rubs on young trees: what they are and when they appearIn early September bucks strip the velvet from their antlers, and through the November rut they leave rubs a foot to three feet up young trunks.
- Where the yard's bats go in September and OctoberThe bats over the lawn in August thin out through September and October. Some fly south, and the ones that stay sleep through winter until spring.
Fungi
- Why mushrooms pop up after rain in MassachusettsEach mushroom that appears after a Massachusetts rain is the short-lived fruiting body of a fungus whose threadlike main body stays hidden in soil or wood.
- Why lichen turns bright green after rainRain turns a lichen's gray outer layer see-through so the green algal partner shows, while lichens with cyanobacteria go dark green, brown or black.
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winterUnder damp leaf piles in eastern Massachusetts yards and woodlots, microbes, millipedes and earthworms turn dead leaves back into soil nutrients.
- Giant puffballs in lawns and fields from August to OctoberA white ball the size of a soccer ball in the grass is a giant puffball, one of the largest fungi, and a ripe one holds an estimated seven trillion spores.
- Slime mold on the mulch after rain: the yellow blob explainedA yellow blob that appears on mulch overnight is a slime mold: not a fungus but a giant single cell that creeps, eats, then dries into a brown spore mass.
- Hen of the woods at the base of the same oak year after yearHen of the woods is a big gray-brown mushroom in overlapping rosettes at the foot of living oaks, and the same oak often produces one year after year.
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungusHard black swellings on a roadside cherry's twigs are black knot, a native fungus, not fire damage or an insect gall, and it can keep growing for decades.
- Honey mushrooms: golden clusters at the base of trees in fallHoney mushrooms are golden-tan to brown clusters at the base of trunks and stumps from late summer into fall, the fruiting stage of Armillaria.
Amphibians
- Red efts: the orange young newts that walk the woods after rainAfter a soaking summer rain in eastern Massachusetts woods, red efts, the young land stage of the eastern newt, walk the wet leaf litter in daylight.
- Snapping turtle hatchlings crossing lawns and roads toward waterSnapping turtle eggs laid in early summer hatch from late August through October, and quarter-sized hatchlings walk overland toward ponds and rivers.
- Why spring peepers call again in autumn from dry woodsSpring peepers call again in autumn from dry upland woods rather than ponds: a single small peep with long silences, often mistaken for a bird.
Landscape
- Why vernal pools dry up in summer, and why that mattersBy midsummer most Massachusetts vernal pools are shrinking toward a dry bed of dark leaves, and that regular drying is what keeps fish from settling in.
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edgedAlmost every stone wall in a Sudbury woodlot was a field or pasture edge, built of glacial stones farmers cleared between the Revolution and the Civil War.
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial iceSome round ponds and deep hollows in eastern Massachusetts mark where a block of ice, stranded and buried as the last glacier retreated, slowly melted.