General News: November Life Amid the Fallen Leaves
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| Copyright S.Keohane/twofrog.com |
November 08, 2006
November. Most people think of the end of the life cycle as they watch the last brown leaves cling to tree limbs and the asters and mums turn brown on their stems.
However, for New York State environmentalist Tom Lake, November is a time when the forces of nature are preparing for next spring’s abundance.
“While we prepare our Thanksgiving dinners, the cooks in the Hudson's kitchen are preparing next summer's meals,” writes Lake in his Hudson River Almanac. “Aquatic plants are dying back, their discarded leaves joining the millions that November rains wash into the Hudson… This detritus provides fertilizer for the estuary. Broken down by bacteria, it becomes a broth of essential nutrients for micro-organisms and plants, flowing through estuarine food chains from plankton, to fish, birds, and even to us.”
Lake shares his delight in walking along trails covered with fallen leaves, empty now of the legions of hikers who enjoyed the summer woods. Easier to see now are the white-tailed deer, black bear, river otter, fisher and beaver. Beware of hunters who are stalking these animals as well.
In the river, fish are still plenty for those who cast their lines. Striped bass are migrating south to the lower Hudson and a lucky angler might find a bass as big as 40 pounds.
Bald eagles, too, are heading south, though some many decide to stay right here in the Hudson Highlands, searching the waterways for fresh fish to eat.
Bird watchers can learn more about the habits of their feathered friends, and more about wildlife along the Hudson, by reading Lake’s Almanac at http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/hudson/nov.html
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