As we wrap up the month of September, a real transition in seasons and weather starts to take place.
Nature is on the move, with the migrating Canada geese heading south, birds passing through, the Monarch butterfly heading for the mountains of Mexico, and the squirrels frantically running around and burying nuts for their winter food supply. Why such a hustle and bustle? It's all due to diminishing daylight.
We have all noticed the later sunrises and the earlier sunsets. The light after dinnertime just doesn't seem to last as long as it did earlier in the month. On Sept. 1 in Milwaukee, we experience 13 hours and 10 minutes of daylight. By Oct. 1 the daylight is down to 11 hours and 44 minutes, and by Nov. 1 we see only 10 hours and 17 minutes of sunshine.
It is not only the animal kingdom that prepares itself for the colder weather ahead. The trees need to get ready ,as well. The sap in the trees and the nutrients in the leaves can easily freeze in winter, so the trees need to shed their leaves for survival.
September is known around here as the month when chlorophyll production stops and the true colors of the leaves start to shine. Chlorophyll gives a leaf its green color. The darkness of the color allows the energy of sunlight to be absorbed more easily by the leaf and is part of the photosynthesis process. Sugars are created and used as food for the tree as the leaf takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen. That's a pretty good deal for us because our lungs do just the opposite. We need the oxygen but dispense the carbon dioxide as we exhale.
Losing chlorophyll isn't a bad deal for us, either. We get to enjoy the true color of the leaf, which was previously masked by green. Now the reds, yellows, oranges, and browns explode around us. The tree also starts to cut off nutrients to the leaves, and they eventually fall from the tree and litter our lawns.
{INSERT_RELATED}What a great tradition of the autumn season: pleasantly warm days, cool nights, nature that is on the move, and an abundance of color. Who could ask for anything more?
For one thing, we sometimes would like autumn to last a little longer around here. During some years it seems a wind and rain storm come along and strip the leaves right off the trees before their time is due and before we get to enjoy the colors.
Let's hope this autumn gives us peaceful weather and plenty of opportunity to enjoy nature's palette.
Watch Vince Condella on Fox 6 Sunday through Thursday at 5, 6 , 9 and 10 p.m. You can see the FOX 6 weather forecast around the clock at www.fox6milwaukee.com
