A farmer too busy to notice asks of autumn markers.
The list took more time than he had, but I mentioned an edible, tasty autumn sulphur shelf fungus down the road, albeit 20 feet up in a black cherry.
Nuts, sometimes few, are beginning to fall, as are apples. Walnut leaflets and leaves, too, yellowing and dropping along with heavy, pungent fruits. Goldenrods are turning green fields yellow, and not bothering a sole with its heavy pollen. Many stems are grub-infested. Ice fishermen take notice.
Deer continue changing coat colors; fawns are becoming solid; velvet is being discarded; and bucks are already raking their antlers on ground under overhanging limbs. Scraped saplings may wish they were fifteen, not five, years old. It is time to deer-proof special trees.
Intermittent high humidity is lessening; mornings are sometimes fresh; white pine needles are playing their autumn tunes when breezes blow through, but old needles are not yet yellowed and dropping.
Dove hunters, sturgeon anglers, ginseng diggers, teal waterfowlers and bear chasers want to be left alone and not hear of water washing away plans.
Firewood makers are working though the heat and wet and not minding the heavy lifting.
And the farmer is chopping corn for silage. While he may not be looking, his olfactory system has taken notice the work of fungi and bacteria manufacturing autumn’s pleasant aroma.
Recent rains, and their destructive power, will be with us for a long while and have impacted many an outdoors activity. Some lowlands may be off limits. Waterfowl habitat increased many-fold but spread out game. Forest trails are gone in places. Even November’s freeze-up may not completely cover the outdoors with a concrete surface.
Ring-necked pheasants at Poynette Garme Farm fared well from wind, nearby tornadoes and rains, but a few public properties may be inaccessible for releases before the October 20 season.
Danger abounds; be careful out there. Trees, ruts, washouts, and undercut stream banks all pose perils.
A Missourian called about Wisconsin grouse hunting. Call back when the autumn outlook and brood counts are published. He’s excited about Wisconsin sending grouse to Missouri a second time.
Those eight-foot sections of roof rake handles continue to show their usefulness to get mushrooms from trees, hornet and wasp nests from house soffits and fascia, and with some duct tape, extend a vacuum nozzle to suck 20 feet up toward insects in vaulted ceilings.
Call them lazy, or effective, but elderly trout anglers are using their maps and trout booklets to locate streams crossed by roads where fishing is often good and walking easy.
The next season of openers is Sept. 15, when archery, squirrel, turkey, grouse, northern rabbit, and several others vie for attention. Gathering seasons are ripe, too.
The DNR hunting and trapping forecast should appear about mid-September.
It is not too early to think color, either. Ample rains are likely to have an impact, but just what that will be is yet to be determined. Generally good moisture delays these changes, and as seen last fall, some leaves find it difficult to give up the hold on twigs until the following spring.
Because of Wisconsin’s forest and plant diversity, broad panoramas of solid autumn color are uncommon here. Viewing Wisconsin in smaller parcels, including individual forest sections, trees and leaves can be just as rewarding. Looking at other plant parts, including fruits and stems sometimes works. Mushrooms, ferns and evergreens provide some interesting color options.
Autumn’s grand season may be exactly what raises our spirits from late summer furies.
— Jerry Davis is an Argyle native and a freelance writer who lives in Barneveld. He can be reached at sivadjam@mhtc.net or at 608-924-1112.
