Gather persimmons. Fruit-loaded persimmon trees are easy to pick out after the leaves have dropped. Be sure to only gather fruit that is VERY soft—green persimmons taste “cottony.” Persimmons can be eaten fresh or seeded and pureed for use in baking.
Monarch butterflies are arriving in Mexico for the winter. These monarchs are four or five generations removed from the previous winter’s butterflies.
Chipmunks are stockpiling the last of their food and going into torpor for the winter.
Look for berries—coralberries, beautyberries, barberries, winterberry hollies, dogwood, wild rose hips, etc. While most of these are not edible, they can make beautiful arrangements.
While many plants are producing berries, witch-hazel is flowering. Look for small trees with small yellow “tangled-hair” flowers.
White-tailed deer are entering peak rut season. Watch roadsides carefully after dark, as more deer may be crossing than normal.
