Connecticut

Nature
Common Core Standards Kindergarten (K.3A), Grade 1 (1.2B), Grade 2 (2.2A), Grade 3 (3.2A)
and Grade 6 (6.2B)

Written by Jay Kaplan, Roaring Brook Nature Center Photos by Canton Photographer Andrea Rand

FALL - Fall Flowers, Fruits and Berries

W
hy are there so many chipmunks
around this fall? Why are there
bees on some flowers, but not
on others? I thought robins went
south in the fall, so why did I see some in
my yard last winter? The answers to these
questions are tied to the abundance of wildlife
food sources in autumn. Fall is often called the
“harvest” season and this applies to wildlife as
well as to people.
Last fall’s abundant acorn crop allowed
chipmunks and other animals to survive the
mild winter of 2016 and reproduce throughout
the spring and summer seasons. Brightly
colored flowers like goldenrods and asters
attract pollinating insects who feast on the
nectar and pollen these late season blossoms
provide. Many of the robins that nest in
Connecticut in spring and summer migrate
southward in fall. They are often replaced by
hardy winter robins coming down from Canada
and northern New England. In years with
good berry crops, more robins will remain here
throughout the winter months, feeding on the
energy rich fruits of such plants as winterberry,
sumac and crabapples.

Did You areas where they are plentiful, even Family

Activities
swimming across rivers to find better
sources of food that will sustain them

Know? through the cold winter months.

• Many insects can see a much broader
spectrum of light than people can,
including ultraviolet light. What may
appear as a brightly colored flower to
you, may offer patterns designed as
“land strips” that lead bees to the nectar.
Bees and wasps have taste receptors
on their antennae, while butterflies have
them on their feet.
Birds have excellent color vision and
can spot brightly colored fall fruits and
berries from considerable distances.
Acorn production varies in an area from
one year to the next. Gray squirrels
have been known to “migrate” from
areas where there are no acorns to
Poison ivy is found throughout our
area. The white berries should not
be touched, but are eaten by over 60
species of birds and small mammals.
Animals do not get poison ivy!
Invasive plants are plants from Europe
or Asia that have been introduced
into this country and can outcompete
native species. Many of our common
invasives are spread by birds who
eat the berries, and later deposit the
non-digestible seeds. The seeds often
grow along fence lines or stone walls.
Commonly found berry-producing
invasives include Oriental bittersweet,
winged euonymous (burning bush),
multiflora rose, autumn olive and
Japanese barberry.
• Watch for bees and other insects on the flowers in your garden or
around your home. Watch for chipmunks “storing” food for the winter and
squirrels burying nuts in the ground.
Take a family nature walk – look for fall flowers, fruits and berries (do not
put them in your mouth). Take photos of what you find.
Discover seeds inside fruits and berries. Plant some in your yard to grow
plants that will produce food for wildlife.
Harvest and plant milkweed seeds to create milk-
weed patches on which monarch butterflies can
lay their eggs in late summer. Their offspring will
be the generation that migrates to Mexico.
In addition to flowers, fruits and berries, mush-
rooms also come in many colors. Photograph
as many colors as you can find. DO NOT TOUCH
MUSHROOMS OR PUT THEM IN OR NEAR YOUR
MOUTH!