It’s early fall, and change is everywhere. The cycle of life continues as our planet shifts into autumn gear. Animals in the Northern Hemisphere begin preparations for winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, everything is launching into spring!

Thanks to Chris Hardeman’s Ecological Calendar 2012 for the information I have shared with you in todays post.  www.ecocalendar.info

Sky Above

VenusJupiterMornings – These two celestial bodies can be seen in the morning sky.

SaturnMarsEvenings – These two celestial bodies can be seen in the evening sky.

Earth Below

MischievousMating – Female Indiana bats spend summer in nursery colonies while males live in isolation. In auturmn, both migrate to hibernation caves, but only females arriving early hibernate immdiately. Males await later females and intercept them for mating.

LateLovers – Marbled salamanders, unlike many other amphibians, begin their breeding season in early autumn. They live in eastern North America, are black and white, 3.5 to 5 inches long and lay 50 to 200 eggs.

TastyTessels – Amaranthus, with species native to central and North America, is a genus of wild leafy plants that blossom from August to October and then go to seed. Used as  grain, the seeds can be made into flour or porridge or even toasted like popcorn.

RoadRearer – In the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, roadrunners breed for the second time of the year in August or September after summer rains have renewed their food sources, which include insects, lizards, and snakes.

FoxFarewell – In autumn, at seven months of age, red fox kits leave their mothers. These omnivorous animals eat insects and fruit in spring, summer, and fall, but as weather cools, rodents and birds become the staple of the fox diet.

ChippyChild – Summer or early fall is the second mating season for eastern chipmunks, which are native to eastern North America. After a month-long gestation period, litters of two to five young are born between August and October.