Autumn Sonata
FALL IS A SPECIAL TIME IN THIS country, no matter where you are. As the seasons turn, temperatures start to drift lower, and days gradually grow shorter. Throughout the natural world, preparations begin. It is an intricate dance.
Taking advantage of the seasonal abundance, animals increase their food consumption to bulk up so they can withstand winter deprivations or, for many, the demands of long and difficult migrations. The non-hibernators that will be wintering in place scramble to fill their caches. Mammals’ fur grows thicker, and birds moult, renewing their feathers for the harsh conditions to come.
For many species, autumn is a time of reproduction, the moment when males suddenly rouse to compete for mating rights. The moose rut is a Canadian fall ritual, an extraordinary array of behaviours meant to attract females, who will gestate over winter and birth in spring just as food becomes available again.
The plant world, too, prepares for the onset of winter. Most become dormant. Grasses and perennials go to seed. Trees and shrubs stop producing chlorophyll and shift stored life-giving sugars to their roots for winter. Moisture levels drop to cope with freezing weather. Seeds and berries ripen, launching a new reproductive cycle. The brown, desiccated leaves flutter to the ground, laying down a nutritious blanket of rotting mulch that will foster more growth.
There is a grandeur to this season. The massive sweeping bird migrations that encompass North and South America are immense, epic, awe-inspiring. Huge tracts of deciduous forest are suddenly, spectacularly colourful. Even the skies change appearance: a big, red harvest moon fills the night sky, as favourite astral constellations like Cassiopeia, Pegasus and Cygnus return to our view. Our nearest neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy, comes into spectacular view.
As we see in Andrew Findlay’s comprehensive article on changing climate conditions in the Yukon, species from pika to salmon are facing demanding new realities. The same is true in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: author Michel Tanguay explains how different ocean currents bringing warmer water are shaping the lives of sea creatures and the lives of humans who depend on them. In our Urban Wildlife column, we see that even North America’s massive avian migration involving billions of birds is being altered by our built environment and anthropogenic temperature rises.
There is much we can each do to make a difference. At CWF, we are dedicated to engaging Canadians to conserve wildlife and habitats. We do that by sharing important information about human impacts on wildlife and the environment. We bring people together to conserve and restore species and habitats. We deliver conservation education programs, advocate for changes in government policy and multiply our impact by working with like-minded partners. We envision a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. And we cannot do any of it without you.
Heartfelt thanks from all of us at CWF for your continuing support.