2018

September - the Month of Autumn Bustle

September, the first month of autumn has long been called the month of mushrooms. And it has a good reason for that - despite the recent drought, this year there is a plenty of mushrooms in Latvian forests. You just have to look closely!

Mushroom-pickers have probably noticed that this year there is a strikingly good harvest of honey fungus. Honey fungi are known as mushrooms, which grow mainly on tree stalks. Our forests contain both edible and inedible and even poisonous species of honey fungi. Common honey fungus and winter honey fungus are the most popular edible species.

September is not only called the month of mushrooms, but also the month of heather, because this month the sweet and delightful smell of heather can be felt virtually everywhere. There are also some other plants blooming, yet there are relatively few of them.

Nut-pickers' activities this year ended earlier than usual. Part of hazelnuts fell off, some were picked by people, nutcrackers, jays and some smaller mammals. Other nuts were already eaten by weevil larvae. At the end of August and in early September, larvae of these insects get out of their "nurseries" to cocoon. They have left behind their shells with a tiny hole.

Not only in the world of people but also in the world of bigger and smaller animals, late summer and early autumn is the time of gatherers. Different rodents are active gatherers of food supplies for the winter. They are joined by squirrels and some species of birds that, as the summer is coming to an end, make winter supplies not only in hazel-groves, but also picking up acorns on the ground.

 Nutcrackers jays stand out among other birds with their noticeable diligence. If the opportunity arises, pay attention to the fact that jays pick up only such acorns that are not damaged by larvae. Do birds look at them closely before picking up acorns? No! Birds identify the condition of the seeds under the shells by their size, weight and shell consistency. The beautiful flyers are real masters when it comes to this task. If you are looking for oak-trees, head in the direction of jay songs. Animals will not be able to last on acorns only all winter long. Moreover, they will not be able to find afterwards a significant part of the values that they store for the winter. Some of these stocks will be found by others, some - by no one. From the acorns not found by forest inhabitants a new life will start in the spring - they will turn into small oak-trees.

There are more and more species of migratory birds to be spotted in Latvia. When listening closely, you will hear that male birds of some migratory bird species are already training their voices for their wedding songs next season. However, the time of flight is also the time of drop-outs, so you should not be surprised to see an injured or even dead bird.

Animals, with the exception of some species of bats, do not go to warmer lands, of course. They are getting ready for the winter by changing to thicker and lighter coats. Badgers clean, repair and prepare their caves. For badgers, hedgehogs and raccoons, also dormice, the end of summer and the beginning of autumn is the time to grow fat reserves for the winter sleep. In turn, red deer bulls do not eat in September, since they are having their rutting time when they are on a strict diet. However, the diet ends together with the end of the rutting time.

Maybe some berry-pickers or mushroom-pickers have felt a louse fly in their beard or hair. This year, the increased amount of louse flies replaced the shortage of mosquitoes and horse-flies; however, louse flies are not the only active insects in September. The meteorological conditions in the first three weeks of the month were quite favourable for many other insects, including the arachnids, to maintain their activity. Those who know how to listen to nature can here male grasshoppers and locusts. Those who know how to look into nature will know that in the sunny days there were no shortage of ants, foxes, and different insects.

In the first month of autumn, a number of amphibian class members are still to be seen. Most of them are gradually going to their secret wintering places. However, until the cold has started its victorious procession, the amphibians are not in a hurry to end the active life of this season. In the western part of Latvia, until the end of September, the voices of males of common tree frogs will be heard. It is interesting that common tree frogs, some time before their winter hibernation now and then fall into autumn madness, they sing, communicate and talk, yet not so loudly as in spring.

Reptiles can also often be spotted in a sunny September afternoon. At the end of the month, most of them have already moved from their summer hunting grounds closer to their wintering places, yet most of them are still not in their hiding places and have not lost their activity, so it is possible that some of the most attentive forest visitors would see them warming up either on a road or some stone.