Tag Archives: fall

Red Maple leaves turning orange © Renee Sack

Take 5: The Nature of Fall

September is here and autumn is rolling in! The leaves are just beginning to change—especially the earliest species to lose its summer green hue, the red maple—and we are looking forward to the change of season with a fun lineup of fall-focused online programs.

Learn how to identify hawks in flight just in time for the height of fall hawk migration, dive deeper into the unique nature of fall, take your feeder watching and backyard birding to the next level with the beginner birdwatching series, and more. Our expert instructors and online platform make learning about autumn more accessible than ever!

And don’t forget—the 2021 Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest closes on September 30, just a few short weeks away, so submit your beautiful nature photography today. Here are five photos submitted to the contest in past years, highlighting the awesome nature of autumn.

Red-tailed Hawk in fall © David Morris
Red-tailed Hawk in fall © David Morris
Red Maple leaves turning orange © Renee Sack
Red Maple leaves turning orange © Renee Sack
Canada Geese flying south in a V formation © Steve Nikola
Canada Geese flying south in a V formation © Steve Nikola
Eastern Gray Squirrel (black morph) gathering acorns © Claudia Carpinone
Eastern Gray Squirrel (black morph) gathering acorns © Claudia Carpinone
Sandhill Crane in Hanson, MA © Paul McCarthy
Sandhill Crane in Hanson, MA © Paul McCarthy
Pumpkins © Beth Del Bono

Take 5: Pumpkin Everything

Pumpkins are the quintessential symbol of fall. Native to North America, pumpkins are believed to have been domesticated for at least 7,000 years, originally cultivated by Mesoamerican peoples for food and medicine. Today, they are grown in incredible quantities around the world, in large part to meet the needs of all the autumn-loving pumpkin carvers and pie-eaters who look forward to this time of year.

Want more pumpkin everything? Check to see if there’s a pumpkin carving program at a sanctuary near you or check out our collection of pumpkin-themed activities for Young Explorers, including stencils for pumpkin decorating, instructions for making your own pumpkin bird feeder, and cool experiments for “pumpkin scientists.” That’s a lot of pumpkins!

And while you’re at it, why not swing by a nearby farm to support the local food movement and pick up your decorative gourds and soon-to-be jack-o-lantern subjects? You’ll be glad you did!

In the meantime, let’s celebrate fall here on the blog with a few pumpkin photos, submitted to our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest.

Manchaug Pond, Sutton, MA © Marty Jo Henry
Manchaug Pond, Sutton, MA © Marty Jo Henry
Squirrel munching on a pumpkin in Gloucester, MA © Suzanne Sweeney
Squirrel munching on a pumpkin in Gloucester, MA © Suzanne Sweeney
Pumpkins © Beth Del Bono
Pumpkins © Beth Del Bono
Pumpkins in Bolton, MA © Carmella Kurriss
Pumpkins in Bolton, MA © Carmella Kurriss
Pumpkins at a farm stand in Methuen, MA © Nancy Rich
Pumpkins at a farm stand in Methuen, MA © Nancy Rich