The Nature Observer Journal
Chuck Tague
A phenology for late October, western Pennsylvania
October 14, 2008
Phenology: The study of biological activity patterns through the seasons.
Enjoy the clear colorful days of autumn now. This spectacular show is all too transient.
The fall colors reach their peak in southwestern Pennsylvania during the last half of October. The diversity of trees in Penn’s Woods account for both the variety of colors and the length of the performance. Look now for the reds and oranges of the early changing maples, the reds of the sumacs and dogwoods and the yellows of hickories and spicebush. White Ashes also turn in mid October. Ashes vary from bronze to
purple.
The brightest colors, the radiant reds and oranges of Sugar and Red Maples, usually peak around the third week of October. Hope for a high blue sky after a frosty night.
The rusty, leathery oaks and the beige beeches are the grand finale.
The average first frost occurs in the Pittsburgh area around October 20. The first hard frost, the “killing frost” usually hits around Halloween. Leaf drop occurs shortly after, with the first rain and wind in November. Now is the time to put your ice scraper back in the car. (The storm windows can wait.)
Look for constellations of asters and tarnished goldenrods.
The white, blue and lavender of the asters, together with the yellow of the goldenrods and sunflowers, in autumn transforms our vacant lots, roadsides, fencerows, fields and swampy borders into a glorious mosaic. Otto Jennings, Wildflowers of Western Pennsylvania, and the Upper Ohio Basin.
Closed Gentian is still in bloom, and some hardy individuals of goldenrod, Common Evening Primrose and boneset have flowers. Most, however, have gone to seed. The end of October is the time the hardy white asters, the frost asters, to shine like stars on a clear, crisp night.
Look closely under the leaves of Witch hazel to find her spidery yellow blossoms, the last of the trees and shrubs to bloom. The seed capsules from last year’s flowers are still on the plant, as are the winter buds that contain the cells for next year’s growth.
Also on the Witch Hazel leaves are conical growths, Witch Hazel Leaf Galls. Galls are abnormal growths caused by insects. The growths provide shelter and food for insect larva. Other galls visible as the leaves drop:
goldenrod ball galls -- spheres on the stems of Canada Goldenrod;
willow cone galls -- “pine cones” on the tips of willow twigs;
and oak apple galls -- brittle beige balls that have fallen from oak trees.
Be Careful and aware!
Hunters are active in October. Archers are out for deer and small game season begins on October 18. Dress in orange and be aware, and considerate, of others in the forest. PA.s hunting seasons.
The fall harvest of seeds and fruit is abundant. It’s a good year for the shiny red berries of dogwood and spicebush. 
The twirling samara of ashes and maples will soon spin to the ground. Crab apples and hawthorn pomes are red. Bunches of wild grapes hang from the vines. Distinguish wild grapes from the invasive Porcelain Berry by the fruit. The latter has light blue or white speckled berries that resemble ceramic marbles. Check under the brilliant leaves of Virginia Creeper for inconspicuous dark berries. The red leaves are “foliar flags” that signal birds there’s fruit ripe on the vine.
It’s a good year for Poison Ivy berries; bane of sensitive humans but winter sustenance for chickadees and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
The fruits of the Black Haw and Nannyberry, both Viburnums, are edible in October. Nuts mature in October. Walnuts are dropping now. Will the acorn mast be good this year? Indications are the squirrels, chipmunks and jays will be well supplied this winter.
I’ve noticed the Hemlocks are loaded with cones.
With the ripening fruit come the avian frugivores -- the feathered fruit-eaters. These include waxwings, robins, starlings and other assorted songbirds. Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers, in a very unwoodpecker-like behavior, also consume fall fruit. Any woods with a good fruit crop is a wild bird party, especially if some of the fruit has fermented.
Bird migration continues. The neotropical migrants, the songbirds that leave temperate North America for the American tropics, have almost all passed through. In the second half of the month look for the migrating songbirds that winter in the southern U.S.
Late October migrants
Killdeer
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Blue-headed Vireo
Brown Creeper
Ruby Crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Yellow-rumped Warbler
White-crowned Sparrow
Rusty Blackbird
Look for lingering Tree Swallows, Gray Catbirds, Hermit Thrushes and Common Yellowthroats.
The numbers of American Goldfinch, in their winter drabness, should build. The fall composites, or daisy-like flowers, have gone to seed. 
Look for goldfinches, also known as the thistle finch, tearing apart the seed heads of thistles, sunflowers, ironweed, goldenrods and garden plants like coreopsis, zinnias and marigolds.
To some songbirds, Pittsburgh is their south, their winter retreat. The first Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows have already arrived. More will follow. Listen for the tinkling sound of American Tree Sparrows before Halloween.
In the evening look for passing flocks of grackles and evening congregations of robins. Around sundown huge, unruly mobs of European Starlings swarm around the bridges that cross Pittsburgh’s rivers.
The first wave of waterfowl should arrive before the end of the month. Wild Turkey flocks are growing.
With the changing leaves the diversity of migrating raptors increases along the Allegheny Front. Look for good numbers of Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks. Red-tailed Hawk numbers also increase and Red-shouldered Hawks fly by with increased regularity. The falcon show has just begun. Merlins and Peregrines are always exciting to watch. Osprey and Bald Eagles are still on the move. Of course, hawk watchers anticipate the Golden Eagle Big Day. Golden Eagles usually peak in the third week of October.
Be alert for mating mammals. Male White-tailed Deer begin the rut in October. Porcupines also mate in October. How do porcupines mate? “Very carefully!” Indeed, the porkies’ long, sharp, backward pointing quills pose a serious romantic problem that requires a creative solution. If you are curious enough, read the detailed description of porcupine love in Guide to the Mammals of Pennsylvania, by Joe Merritt (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1987).
Insect activity decreases daily. Cabbage Whites and Orange Sulphurs are still on the wing. You may catch a glimpse of a Monarch straggler. Check the asters for Common Checkered Skippers, attractive brown and white butterflies about the size of a dime. Common Buckeys, an immigrant from the south, are still being reported. Commas, Question Marks and Mourning Cloaks, butterflies that overwinter as adults, are attracted to fallen fruit. On October 12, a Viceroy was patrolling in Raccoon Creek State Park.
Caterpillars are more and more difficult to find. The most visible are Wooly Bears crossing the road. Can you predict this winter’s weather from the colors?
Not really, but they do indicate there’s a good chance there will be Isabella Tiger Moths about next July.
When will the Asian Multi-colored Ladybugs swarm?
Those pesky gray stinkbugs are Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halymorpha halys. These malodorous bugs that are swarming around and sneaking in our homes are native to Asia. They were first documented in Pennsylvania in Allentown, 1991.
There will be a New Moon on October 28.There will be no moonlight on Halloween. Halloween marks the mid point of fall, the transition to the season of darkness. Longer nights dominate the daylight periods. The colorful landscape becomes monochromatic and dimensionless. Mornings are frosty. Snow and bone-chilling, plant-killing winds linger just beyond the hazy horizon. Leaves drop. Plant growth ceases.
Put down that mouse.
Move away from the computer.
Get out now! -- before it’s too late.
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Phenology, late October
