September 21, 1989 - By Land, By Sea, Winter Is Comingi
B14 The Suffolk Times • September 21, 1989
By Land, By Sea,
Winter Is C o
By Paul Stoutenburgh
As I write at my desk in front of the
big picture window that looks out over
the back pasture, I see the chickens
lined up on the old split -rail fence. It
rained last night and after their fill of
feed they are satisfied for the moment to
preen themselves and let the world go
by. Chickens don't like to get their feet
Focus on
Nature
wet, my dad used to tell me, so perhaps
that's another reason for their lineup
along the fence.
The sun has broken through and the
land is starting to dry out. Everything is
green, no dry sunburned fields this year.
Our rains have seen to that, yet the
green of today has a much different look
than the green of spring; mingled
within its lush covering are wild
flowers and seed pods of all sorts. Most
are not native plants but rather the
escapees of seeds that came from Europe
a long time ago. Today we take them
for granted as part of our country's land-
scape.
It's this time of year, harvest time,
that our outside world prepares for the
coming winter. Ever so gradual is the
change that the casual observer hardly
notices it taking place. Miniature tree
buds will stay dormant throughout the
cold of winter and burst into flower and
greenery when spring's magic once
again is released. The plants and grasses
SEEDS OF FALL —One of the true signs of fall is the ripening of seeds.
From the oak and hickory nuts of our hardwood forests to the
roadsides, fields and beaches, the seeds of future generations are now
being sown.
are building stronger root systems in
the now -warm ground. Their job of
propagating and dispersing their seeds is
almost over. Soon they, like the trees,
will die back as the cold of winter takes
over.
Preparing for Winter
The animals of the woods have raised
their young and chased them away to
fend for themselves now. It's a busy and
trying time to build up their bodies in
anticipation of the winter ahead. Some
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will escape the bitter cold by conserving
their body heat and hibernating or by
taking long sleeps, only awakening and
moving about when a warm spell inter-
rupts the winter's freeze. Even then,
during these occasional breaks, they
must forage for food to keep replacing
what their bodies have lost.
Most of our bird population is
getting ready to migrate to warmer
places down south. Robins are flocking
together. Catbirds in great numbers are
seen feeding on the Autumn Olive that
lines our hedgerow. Families of
flickers, those huge woodpeckers, are
digging for ants and bugs on our lawn.
Soon they, too, will leave us. A burst
of 20 or 30 starlings rises out of the
trees as a small woodhawk dives in to
harass them, hoping for one to drop its
guard. It, too, is on the move, stopping
only briefly to feed. Our world is
changing slowly.
The picnic table outside my window
is aglow with fruit from our small or-
chard. Jon -A -Red, McIntosh, Golden
Delicious and Earliblaze apples await
their turn to be eaten raw, made into
pies or applesauce or given away to
friends and family. There are also pears
on the table which we missed last year
because the cows got through the fence
and helped themselves to the whole crop
just about ready to be picked.
I'm sure the changes we see around us
OPEN
10:30 -10:30
are duplicated in their own way below
the water that surrounds our East End.
Like birds, fish migrate and head for
warmer water where their food supply
can be assured. Those who don't move
away must dig down and sleep the win-
ter away. The eels now have hefty rib-
bons of white fat inside them that will
hold them over 'til spring. The dark
black mud of our creeks, well below the
frost mark, will be their winter cradle.
Crabs of all sorts will do the same, and
the clams and shellfish will reduce their
activity as the water temperature drops.
Even with all this preparation for
winter some will not make it through
the year. It's all part of the cycle of life.
The strong will survive, the weak will
perish. So much has to do with the
weather, should it be mild or extremely
cold. We in our snug homes think little
about how the weather affects the out-
side world just so long as our heaters
keep running. It's only when there's an
occasional heating failure that we realize
how uncomfortable we are and how
rugged a life the world outside must be.
It's through trial and error that the
world has evolved and what a wonderful
world it is. The changing seasons only
emphasize it and make us more aware.
Yet in our busy days and modern hustle
and bustle these changes sometimes are
overlooked and we become unattached to
the real world. When this happens I'm
afraid we often make decisions and act
in a way that unknowingly degrades our
environment. It's only through a true
realization of what's out there that we
can make sound judgments for a better
place for all.
Help the Cleanup
STONY BROOK — Volunteers are
needed for the third annual Beach
Cleanup Day in New York State to be
held on Sept. 24, as part of National
Coast Weeks 1989. More than simple
aesthetics, the cleanups place emphasis
on documentation of debris as a monitor
of preventive measures already in place.
Volunteers work for two to three hours
starting at 10 a.m.
Local beaches committed for cleanup
include Jamesport Town Beach, River-
head; Mattituck Park, Southold; and
Shell Beach and Mashomack Preserve,
Shelter Island.
For information and meeting places,
contact Roberta Weisbrod, New York
State Department of Environmental
Conservation, 47 -20 21st Street, Long
Island City, N.Y. 11101; 718 -482-
4992.
� DYNASTY �
CHINESE FOOD TO TAKE OUT
in Southold Square, North Road,
(across from Van Duzer Gas)
765 -5999