Climax of the Biological Year

     Each year is divided into four seasons, and two solstices and two equinoxes.  My favorite single time of each year is the autumn equinox, followed by the winter solstice.  December 21 in the northern hemisphere is the last day of a biological year and December 22 is biological New Year's Day, which is the day to celebrate the coming natural year with its innumerable bounties and beauties.  But to me September 21, the fall equinox, represents the climax of nature's year, the time when most vegetation is at its peak of growth and bounty of mature fruits, and wildlife is finished raising young.  This is the time all of nature had been striving for, when most life comes to fruit.  And for us people, the edible bounty is the most important part of autumn, closely followed by its unique, colorful beauties that feed our sense of esthetics.     
     All life forms had spent the previous year building up to this climax, starting with the previous autumn.  Last fall, much of the wildlife in the northern hemisphere prepared for the coming winter by either migrating, storing food, putting on fat or becoming dormant in protected places.  Leaves on deciduous trees died, turned to warm colors and fell to the ground.  And most other plants became dormant to face the severity of winter.  Then much of life was dormant through winter.  Finally spring arrived and with it was the growth of newly sprouted vegetation and the birth of wildlife, all of which grew rapidly through summer.  By fall, plants and wild animals are at their peak of abundance.              Autumn in the Mid-Atlantic States has several characteristics that make it unique and a joy to experience.  The days are still warm, but the nights are cooler than they had been in summer.  There is a lulling hush in the air under warm sunshine, yet an excitement of rapidly coming change in the weather.  Orange pumpkins decoratively lie in their fields until they are harvested while corn shocks stand like tepees in the fields where the corn stalks grew tall.  Grass and weeds stand tall and colorful along country roadsides and in certain fields.  And all those grasses and weeds are loaded with small seeds that mice and a variety of wintering birds will eat through winter.  And there are still beautiful flowers in abundance along rural roads, including goldenrods, asters and mourning glories.  The goldenrods and asters provide much nectar and pollen for a variety of bees, butterflies and other insects.
     Certain common kinds of wildlife in the Middle Atlantic States prepare for winter in autumn, also characterizing that lovely season.  For example, blue jays, eastern chipmunks and gray squirrels store nuts and seeds for winter use.  Wood chucks and black bears put on fat to sleep in secure places through winter.  Many kinds of birds and some species of insects migrate south to find food sources that will be free of snow and ice.  And gatherings of female box elder bugs and lady bug beetles hide away in secluded places in trees, wooden fence posts and rock piles to avoid the perils of winter.
     From the climax of the year on September 21, the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere, through October and into early November much of nature prepares for winter, when it has its own characteristics and beauties we people enjoy.  And during winter nature gathers its resources for the burst of growth during the next spring that matures and reaches a climax of growth by the next fall equinox.  That growth has its own beauties and intrigues.  Such is the rhythm of life on Earth through innumerable years.