For those with a keen eye to see signs in nature as summer morphs into autumn, what do you notice besides trees starting to change colour, the sun setting earlier and the nights being cooler?
A few weeks ago I noticed large flocks of barn swallows swirling around from tree tops, or hydro wires, and then they land on the ground and up they go again. They are probably filling themselves up with insects before migrating to Central or South America. I see them do this in late summer. I’ve seen a flock of geese in a harvested wheat field. An area duck hunter stopped by the farm for a visit on August 12 asking permission to hunt on my wheat fields when the duck season opens in September. That was early too.
Many things symbolize the end of summer. The wind is different by mid-August — the sound and it swirls more. The sure sign for me are the groundhogs that dig their burrows along the side of our township roads. They can be seen all spring and summer on the road and scurry away when a car comes along. I think the rodents pack it in around the third week of August and have gone underground. I never see them again until they pop up again in the spring. I jot down on a calendar when I see the first one venture out of their hole and this year it was March 8.
Another sign that summer is leaving us are the many events and outings to go to such as fall fairs and church suppers. The plowing matches — the county ones and the International Plowing Match (IPM) — are held each September in Ontario and are a great showcase for mostly rural folks. The Outdoor Farm Show is held each September at Woodstock, Ont. Sometimes I check out the Antique Wheels in Motion Harvest Days held near Brockville. The Farm Progress Show is in Decatur, Illinois. It’s a huge three-day event at the end of August. Two farm buddies and I have been to a few crop day luncheons this August put on by seed companies or seed dealers. Corn roasts are also popular. They all symbolize the end of the growing season and the beginning of autumn.
You know autumn has arrived when you see geese flying overhead in their V formation, when you hear crickets sing and when you see fields of yellow pumpkins. Autumn is here when the harvest is in full swing and combines creep along in slow speed separating the seed from the stalks. Farmers are chopping their silage corn. Lawns are easier to mow as the grass is drier. Soybeans have gone from a lush green to a yellowish colour. The lake where we spent so much time in the summer will soon be quiet. Only the kayakers –the older folks are out for exercise paddling along the shore.
Many folks find September and October favourite months of the year. If you love eating fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown in Ontario, this is the time to get them. Bright red and juicy tomatoes are everywhere.
The end of summer brings with it a certain sadness. Summer always seem to go by so quickly, especially the last two weeks of August. Summer will soon be gone only to open the beauty of the autumn season.
