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September 07, 2000 - Summertime goes 'slipping away'6A • The Suffolk Times • September 7, 2000 Summertime goes `slippin Where has the summer gone? Some might say it "slipped away" while others will say "it's completely gone." I think "slipping away" is the one I'd have to choose, for I see signs of fall everywhere. The milkweed out in the pasture has changed its flowery head FOCUS a bulging seed pod that ON later in the fall NATURE will burst open and scatter its by Paul seeds _ .e Stoutenburgh wind. -'' i.� - geed pod is one of nature's most wonder- ful .packages. If you ever open a milkweed pod and see how beauti- fully packed it is with its parachuting umbrellas of silk and web, you can start to appreciate some of nature's wonder. For the past few weeks we have been seeing swallows moving south, stopping here and there when they find a suitable food supply. It's then you'll see them congregate by the thousands, milling about, collecting the insects that have just hatched. A typical example is the termite. When a termite colony becomes overcrowded, it's time for a change and a great many of them take to the air to find new places to settle and start their own colonies. It's in this stage of relocation that we see the swallows swoop in and take advan- tage of the termites' aerial flight. This happened just this morning as away The milkweed holds its precious silken seeds in a tough an compact seed pod. As fall approaches and the leaves wither and die, the milkweed pod splits open and spews its para- chuted silken webs of seeds to the wind. the regulars hunting over the pasture discovered an explosion of insects. ,in no time there were hundreds of swal- lows darting in and out over the gar- den and pasture collecting those that had taken to the air. Similar to the way seagulls respond when one finds :a, choice treasure, it doesn't take long for the. troops to gather and share in the prize. Within a half an hour the insects were gone. Whatever it was that had just hatched was no more and so the wallows moved on to better hunting grounds. If you are the least observant, you can't help noticing as you drive along that the farmers are getting their pota- toes out of the ground, the grains have been threshed and the rem- nants baled into. straw. You'll also see the broc- coli, Brussels sprouts t and cauliflower that have been freshly plant- ed and now await the cool weather to produce those wonderful fall veg- etables we all look for- ward to. Even the trees to us the season is passing. The catalpa tree along the roadside that had its big showy clusters of white trumpet - shaped flowers has now formed its slender bean -like seed pods that stretch for 10 to 12 inches in length. You'll also notice "the tree of heaven" or ailanthus that is now in full seed. Its clusters can easily be seen along our roadsides with their splash of dull yellow seed pods. This is a tree that was immortalized in tht book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," for it is about the only tree that can grow in a heavily populated place with cement and glass all around where a mere crack in the pavement lets it get a foothold. It's not a very pleasant tree to have around the house for the flowers have a disagreeable odor. It is a weedy tree in the sense that it grows fast and the wood is soft, which makes it susceptible to wind and storm damage. But any greenery in some sections of Brooklyn would be a pleasant addition-and reminds us of nature trying to come forth no matter how much she is suppressed. The ailanthus, like so many other things in our world today, is not a native tree but one that was brought here from China and has spread hroughout the countryside. Then there are the hickory trees whose nuts are starting to ripen right now. I can tell because there is a con - inual raining of nut shells from above. These green nuts that t e squirrels are now opening and enjoy- ing will build up the fat reserve they'll need to get through the win- ter when the ground is frozen and snow covers everything. It's then hey use their stored -up supply of fat hat they built up during the summer ind fall months. Right now the squir- els are in the treetops enjoying their iew -found source of food. Every once in a while they'll drop full nut. It must slip out of their ands and it comes crashing down nd makes a terrific noise. One just it our cooker on the patio. It sound - I like someone hit it with a ham - ier. We have to be careful where we irk out car, for the falling nuts hit hard enough to make dents in the hood and roof. Have you ever thought about whether or not those squirrels mov- ing high up in the treetops ever fall? Well, let me tell you, they do. While we were sitting on the patio this evening we heard this terrific "thud" and saw one fall from'a tree and land on his back. He got up, looked around and then scampered off. Evidently they can fall from quite a height and not get hurt. This one Mmust have been fallen from at least 30 feet up in the air, yet it appeared to us that nothing had happened to him. There is so much that goes on`around our place that you don't really have to go anywhere else to be entertained. This evening my older son stopped by to say hello, and as we sat on'the porch.a deer jumped out of the orchard right over the four -foot fence and into the pasture, only to trot away out of sight to the east. Later I wandered down to see if I could get .another look at it. I walked through the orchard to the end, out into the pasture, but I saw no deer. Always knowing that there might be some in the adjoining fields, I - worked my way over to an opening in the hedgerow ,and looked out. There stood two magnificent bucks just like Santa Claus's rein- deer. They still had a thick velvet covering on their antlers. As the days get cooler and the rut- ting season starts, they'll rub that vel- vet off on various trees and bushes. I can see signs of this around the edge of the pasture where the cedar trees I planted years ago have had their branches broken and their trunks scarred by rubbing in the past. This rubbing will go on until the bucks' antlers are polished and sharp, when they'll challenge a rival over some lady fair and the battle begins. And so the season moves on. The curtain goes up on yet another sea- son of fall. 6A • The Suffolk Times • September 7, 2000 Summertime goes `slippin Where has the summer gone? Some might say it "slipped away" while others will say "it's completely gone." I think "slipping away" is the one I'd have to choose, for I see signs of fall everywhere. The milkweed out in the pasture has changed its flowery head FOCUS a bulging seed pod that ON later in the fall NATURE will burst open and scatter its by Paul seeds _ .e Stoutenburgh wind. -'' i.� - geed pod is one of nature's most wonder- ful .packages. If you ever open a milkweed pod and see how beauti- fully packed it is with its parachuting umbrellas of silk and web, you can start to appreciate some of nature's wonder. For the past few weeks we have been seeing swallows moving south, stopping here and there when they find a suitable food supply. It's then you'll see them congregate by the thousands, milling about, collecting the insects that have just hatched. A typical example is the termite. When a termite colony becomes overcrowded, it's time for a change and a great many of them take to the air to find new places to settle and start their own colonies. It's in this stage of relocation that we see the swallows swoop in and take advan- tage of the termites' aerial flight. This happened just this morning as away The milkweed holds its precious silken seeds in a tough an compact seed pod. As fall approaches and the leaves wither and die, the milkweed pod splits open and spews its para- chuted silken webs of seeds to the wind. the regulars hunting over the pasture discovered an explosion of insects. ,in no time there were hundreds of swal- lows darting in and out over the gar- den and pasture collecting those that had taken to the air. Similar to the way seagulls respond when one finds :a, choice treasure, it doesn't take long for the. troops to gather and share in the prize. Within a half an hour the insects were gone. Whatever it was that had just hatched was no more and so the wallows moved on to better hunting grounds. If you are the least observant, you can't help noticing as you drive along that the farmers are getting their pota- toes out of the ground, the grains have been threshed and the rem- nants baled into. straw. You'll also see the broc- coli, Brussels sprouts t and cauliflower that have been freshly plant- ed and now await the cool weather to produce those wonderful fall veg- etables we all look for- ward to. Even the trees to us the season is passing. The catalpa tree along the roadside that had its big showy clusters of white trumpet - shaped flowers has now formed its slender bean -like seed pods that stretch for 10 to 12 inches in length. You'll also notice "the tree of heaven" or ailanthus that is now in full seed. Its clusters can easily be seen along our roadsides with their splash of dull yellow seed pods. This is a tree that was immortalized in tht book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," for it is about the only tree that can grow in a heavily populated place with cement and glass all around where a mere crack in the pavement lets it get a foothold. It's not a very pleasant tree to have around the house for the flowers have a disagreeable odor. It is a weedy tree in the sense that it grows fast and the wood is soft, which makes it susceptible to wind and storm damage. But any greenery in some sections of Brooklyn would be a pleasant addition-and reminds us of nature trying to come forth no matter how much she is suppressed. The ailanthus, like so many other things in our world today, is not a native tree but one that was brought here from China and has spread hroughout the countryside. Then there are the hickory trees whose nuts are starting to ripen right now. I can tell because there is a con - inual raining of nut shells from above. These green nuts that t e squirrels are now opening and enjoy- ing will build up the fat reserve they'll need to get through the win- ter when the ground is frozen and snow covers everything. It's then hey use their stored -up supply of fat hat they built up during the summer ind fall months. Right now the squir- els are in the treetops enjoying their iew -found source of food. Every once in a while they'll drop full nut. It must slip out of their ands and it comes crashing down nd makes a terrific noise. One just it our cooker on the patio. It sound - I like someone hit it with a ham - ier. We have to be careful where we irk out car, for the falling nuts hit hard enough to make dents in the hood and roof. Have you ever thought about whether or not those squirrels mov- ing high up in the treetops ever fall? Well, let me tell you, they do. While we were sitting on the patio this evening we heard this terrific "thud" and saw one fall from'a tree and land on his back. He got up, looked around and then scampered off. Evidently they can fall from quite a height and not get hurt. This one Mmust have been fallen from at least 30 feet up in the air, yet it appeared to us that nothing had happened to him. There is so much that goes on`around our place that you don't really have to go anywhere else to be entertained. This evening my older son stopped by to say hello, and as we sat on'the porch.a deer jumped out of the orchard right over the four -foot fence and into the pasture, only to trot away out of sight to the east. Later I wandered down to see if I could get .another look at it. I walked through the orchard to the end, out into the pasture, but I saw no deer. Always knowing that there might be some in the adjoining fields, I - worked my way over to an opening in the hedgerow ,and looked out. There stood two magnificent bucks just like Santa Claus's rein- deer. They still had a thick velvet covering on their antlers. As the days get cooler and the rut- ting season starts, they'll rub that vel- vet off on various trees and bushes. I can see signs of this around the edge of the pasture where the cedar trees I planted years ago have had their branches broken and their trunks scarred by rubbing in the past. This rubbing will go on until the bucks' antlers are polished and sharp, when they'll challenge a rival over some lady fair and the battle begins. And so the season moves on. The curtain goes up on yet another sea- son of fall. 6A • The Suffolk Times • September 7, 2000 Summertime goes `slippin Where has the summer gone? Some might say it "slipped away" while others will say "it's completely gone." I think "slipping away" is the one I'd have to choose, for I see signs of fall everywhere. The milkweed out in the pasture has changed its flowery head FOCUS a bulging seed pod that ON later in the fall NATURE will burst open and scatter its by Paul seeds _ .e Stoutenburgh wind. -'' i.� - geed pod is one of nature's most wonder- ful .packages. If you ever open a milkweed pod and see how beauti- fully packed it is with its parachuting umbrellas of silk and web, you can start to appreciate some of nature's wonder. For the past few weeks we have been seeing swallows moving south, stopping here and there when they find a suitable food supply. It's then you'll see them congregate by the thousands, milling about, collecting the insects that have just hatched. A typical example is the termite. When a termite colony becomes overcrowded, it's time for a change and a great many of them take to the air to find new places to settle and start their own colonies. It's in this stage of relocation that we see the swallows swoop in and take advan- tage of the termites' aerial flight. This happened just this morning as away The milkweed holds its precious silken seeds in a tough an compact seed pod. As fall approaches and the leaves wither and die, the milkweed pod splits open and spews its para- chuted silken webs of seeds to the wind. the regulars hunting over the pasture discovered an explosion of insects. ,in no time there were hundreds of swal- lows darting in and out over the gar- den and pasture collecting those that had taken to the air. Similar to the way seagulls respond when one finds :a, choice treasure, it doesn't take long for the. troops to gather and share in the prize. Within a half an hour the insects were gone. Whatever it was that had just hatched was no more and so the wallows moved on to better hunting grounds. If you are the least observant, you can't help noticing as you drive along that the farmers are getting their pota- toes out of the ground, the grains have been threshed and the rem- nants baled into. straw. You'll also see the broc- coli, Brussels sprouts t and cauliflower that have been freshly plant- ed and now await the cool weather to produce those wonderful fall veg- etables we all look for- ward to. Even the trees to us the season is passing. The catalpa tree along the roadside that had its big showy clusters of white trumpet - shaped flowers has now formed its slender bean -like seed pods that stretch for 10 to 12 inches in length. You'll also notice "the tree of heaven" or ailanthus that is now in full seed. Its clusters can easily be seen along our roadsides with their splash of dull yellow seed pods. This is a tree that was immortalized in tht book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," for it is about the only tree that can grow in a heavily populated place with cement and glass all around where a mere crack in the pavement lets it get a foothold. It's not a very pleasant tree to have around the house for the flowers have a disagreeable odor. It is a weedy tree in the sense that it grows fast and the wood is soft, which makes it susceptible to wind and storm damage. But any greenery in some sections of Brooklyn would be a pleasant addition-and reminds us of nature trying to come forth no matter how much she is suppressed. The ailanthus, like so many other things in our world today, is not a native tree but one that was brought here from China and has spread hroughout the countryside. Then there are the hickory trees whose nuts are starting to ripen right now. I can tell because there is a con - inual raining of nut shells from above. These green nuts that t e squirrels are now opening and enjoy- ing will build up the fat reserve they'll need to get through the win- ter when the ground is frozen and snow covers everything. It's then hey use their stored -up supply of fat hat they built up during the summer ind fall months. Right now the squir- els are in the treetops enjoying their iew -found source of food. Every once in a while they'll drop full nut. It must slip out of their ands and it comes crashing down nd makes a terrific noise. One just it our cooker on the patio. It sound - I like someone hit it with a ham - ier. We have to be careful where we irk out car, for the falling nuts hit hard enough to make dents in the hood and roof. Have you ever thought about whether or not those squirrels mov- ing high up in the treetops ever fall? Well, let me tell you, they do. While we were sitting on the patio this evening we heard this terrific "thud" and saw one fall from'a tree and land on his back. He got up, looked around and then scampered off. Evidently they can fall from quite a height and not get hurt. This one Mmust have been fallen from at least 30 feet up in the air, yet it appeared to us that nothing had happened to him. There is so much that goes on`around our place that you don't really have to go anywhere else to be entertained. This evening my older son stopped by to say hello, and as we sat on'the porch.a deer jumped out of the orchard right over the four -foot fence and into the pasture, only to trot away out of sight to the east. Later I wandered down to see if I could get .another look at it. I walked through the orchard to the end, out into the pasture, but I saw no deer. Always knowing that there might be some in the adjoining fields, I - worked my way over to an opening in the hedgerow ,and looked out. There stood two magnificent bucks just like Santa Claus's rein- deer. They still had a thick velvet covering on their antlers. As the days get cooler and the rut- ting season starts, they'll rub that vel- vet off on various trees and bushes. I can see signs of this around the edge of the pasture where the cedar trees I planted years ago have had their branches broken and their trunks scarred by rubbing in the past. This rubbing will go on until the bucks' antlers are polished and sharp, when they'll challenge a rival over some lady fair and the battle begins. And so the season moves on. The curtain goes up on yet another sea- son of fall.