Autumn Wonders 2: The Animal Side of Autumn

Published November 6th, 2012
By Thomas Meli, Instructor

I love watching squirrels check to see if a nut they buried is still there.

On the animal side of things, some species are getting ready to mate!  Even though winter is right around the corner, Autumn for deer is a season of tons of food, with acorns falling down all over the place.  The squirrels and chipmunks tend to get very territorial this time of year, and you can see chipmunks and squirrels chasing each other protecting their nuts.

Deer Antler Rub on Red Maples.
The progression shows three different maples at different stages of wound healing / development.
A. An Antler Wound has just been healed.
B. An Antler Wound from 1-3 years ago.
C. An Antler Wound at probably ~5+ years. Now a home to small rodents

Keep an eye out for antler rubs and see if you can watch a buck long enough to see it make one.  Just honor and respect the deer with some physical distance, male deer can be quite aggressive during the rut.