The Daily Bucket is a place where we post and exchange our observations about what is happening in the natural world in our neighborhood. Bugs, buds, birds - each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
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Bob Dylan, who spent some time living in San Francisco, famously whined "I'm used to four seasons and California's got but one". That isn't even true on Southern California beaches, California has seasons, but the signs are subtle. I explain further below the orange
What Bob Missed
Had Dylan traveled a slight distance east to the summit of Mount Diablo, he could've viewed the Sierras in the distance, and guaged the snow levels to see if it were winter yet. More easily, he could've simply looked for skis on the roof racks of the outbound traffic, as sure a sign of winter as kids everywhere one looks on weekdays are of summer.
More to the point, our deciduous trees follow the same seasonal pattern as those elsewhere. Perhaps they were hidden among the conifers and live oaks, but even the live oaks tell us of fall by dropping acorns. They are doing so now.
Yesterday
Friday,
August 31, 2012 down in
Hayward, CA, I saw:
The first acorns of the season (and wild turkeys searching for them),
The first Wooly Bear of the season (drowned in some standing water), and
The first ladybug Larva of the season (I think, I'm weak on bugs).
Fall is come to California, slight and subtle, with the blaze of colors and leaf die-offs on our deciduous trees still to come, but fall is already here.
Your Turn
So what are you seeing in your area. Please post your sightings and observations in the comments, along with the general location. Thank you.