The super full moon of this Thursday, Oct. 17, brings some very high tides of over 6 feet in the mid-mornings. The Old Farmer’s Almanac calls it the “Hunters Moon,” its early rising giving hunters extra time to bring in meat before the winter. The next winter meteor shower, the Orionids, is due to peak on the night of Monday, Oct. 21 with the potential to see 50 meteors an hour, fog permitting. Look for Orion, the hunter constellation, in the eastern sky.
I am delighted to note that many more pumpkin-orange Gulf fritillary butterflies are gracing their host passionflower vine in front of the thrift store. After a slow start to hatching this year, watch for them fluttering over the new sidewalk.
A dip in the temperatures and predicted rain reminds us that winter approaches. Some creatures who will be staying in the neighborhood are stockpiling food. Squirrels are caching their nuts and acorn woodpeckers are stuffing theirs into tree bark. Others will begin to move to warmer climates. A loveliness—the collective noun—of ladybugs, or lady bird beetles, landed on one of the Bear Valley picnic tables. They will fly together to overwinter in the Central Valley.