Ken Lassman has been keeping this almanac for over a decade, He invites you to share your observations and photos in the comments section. You can find his book Wild Douglas County at The Raven Bookstore and The Community Mercantile in Lawrence.
Deer Mating Moon – October
The Osage called this time Deer Mating Moon to commemoratee the very noticeable ree-appearance of the bucks, who are beginning to “rut,” which they literally do with their hooves. They find a prominent place and scrape the groundcover clear of vegetation as part of their mating ritual.
Hackberry, ash, box elder and elm trees are the first to turn yellow this month, providing nice contrast to the reds of sumac, poison ivy and Virginia creeper as their green chlorophyll plays out leaving either the yellow or red chlorophylls to collect the shorter day’s sunlight. Mid-late month spells the end of the growing cycle for annuals with the first killing frosts coming then most years. Mid-month is a great time to find native prairie patches, looking for the coppery colored grasses that distinguish them from the greens of cool season grasses such as brome, fescue and, of course, wheat.
Bird migration is building all month, with seagulls that breed in Canada passing through the area, along with pelicans, geese, and various ducks. A trip to Clinton or any other area reservoir, or the Wakarusa Wetlands is almost always a rewarding outing, whether it be for the migrating fowl around sunrise or sunset, or the changing colors of fall. This is the favorite time of year for many folks who like to be outdoors–what are you waiting for?
Hi, I haven’t seen or heard any chipmunks so far this year, which is really unusual. What are your thoughts on why that might be? Thanks very much!
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Are you talking about the thirteen lined squirrel? Here’s a picture of it:
http://kufs.ku.edu/libres/Mammals_of_Kansas/spermoph-13.html
If not, check that website for your critter, as all the mammals in Kansas are listed there. According to that article on the 13 lined squirrel, they are probably in the midst of having young ones right now, so maybe they are just preoccupied at home and don’t get out much right now! Of course there could be a disease or even worse, someone could have put out poison and exterminated the local population you are used to seeing. That’s exactly what happened to a population I enjoyed over in Topeka where I work. The colony was exterminated by housekeeping because they were afraid the friendly critters might bite someone.
Same folks knocked down a bunch of swallow nests because some folks complained about their swooping behavior, thinking they were attacking them. I quickly told housekeeping that they are insectivores and most likely they are drawn to people walking outside, hoping that the person will scare up a bug or two for them to pick off, and that they are a great asset for keeping the bugs down. I also found out that knocking down their nests now and then can actually keep parasite and nuisance bug populations down in the nests, which are re-used and therefore can build up enough mites and other parasites to create a health issue for the young as well as the parents.
The swallows have since rebuilt and they are now sitting on eggs for hatching, soon to eat that many more bugs!
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