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.
Coon Breeding Moon – November
As you drive down roads this time of year, be aware of the raccoons who are crossing, especially at night. Look for their human-like footprints in the mud and it will clarify why they held such an important place in local storytelling lore.
This month is peak waterfowl migration and the eagles are returning to cottonwood trees along the river. Their white heads and black bodies with large flat wingspans can also be seen in the blue skies, and if you lay on the ground and watch the sky for a while, chances are that you’ll see some migratory bird flocks fly by, sometimes at very high altitudes.
Most leaves are migrating to the ground, with most trees becoming mostly bare in the first week of the month or so. It’s time too get your bird feeders going and this month is when some hunting seasons begin–check the Parks and Wildlife website for details.
It really is a great time to take walks, with insects gone and wildlife made more visible by the leaf drop. The longer nights can draw you into watching the winter constellations which are beginning to rise in the east, with some of the prettiest and dramatic stars of the year, whether you are looking through binoculars, a telescope or your eyes.
I appreciate your listing of plants and animals. Specificity matters. Two neighbor girls seemed tireless the other day in sticking their hand into my little garden pond and coming up with a tadpole. A forest is fine, but it’s important to see the redbuds – maybe tracing a single leaf with your finger.
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Watching birds this time of year is all about specificity: a robin hopping around, listening for worms; a sparrow picking around in the grass, eating something I can’t see; a bluebird preening each feather; a swallow swooping to pick off a gnat. Not all that different from the two girls, I think, or the soft lushness of the new redbud leaf, for that matter.
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