Ideas from September to August

September

*Find our regional large communal roosts of chimney swifts. There are several large roosts in South Arlington near Walter Reed community center. 

October

*As leaves start falling, you have a great chance to study them and notice which leaves are from which native trees, and to study galls on the leaves. It’s also fun to pick some leaves at their most colorful times and to press them.

November.  

*In late November, when the time shifts an hour and the sun goes down early, you have a great period of time to start stargazing.

*Look for animal tracks and scats in the Winter.  You are likely to find foxes, rabbits, raccoons, deer, and geese.  The library carries books about animal tracks and scat.  If you search on youtube for tracks and scat, you will find nature videos like these to help you learn identification.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYzQG-voSQ

December

*This is a great month to learn about area geology.  

*You can use the Winter Tree Finder to learn to identify trees based on their buds and bark.

January

*Keep on stargazing and exploring your areas for rocks. 

*If you walk at night you will probably find foxes and deer.

*You may start to begin to hear the songs of birds that will become more common as Spring approaches. For example, as early as January Northern Cardinals begin to sing their cheery "Sweet-sweet-sweet" song that is a prelude to breeding. Also the Tufted Titmouses are singing. Our Winter visitors the White-throated Sparrows break into their beautiful "Oh Canada, Canada, Canada" song sometimes even in the depth of Winter.

February

*This is your last chance for easy stargazing before the time changes again and the days get longer. 

*Some of the earliest spring ephemerals begin appearing. See if you can find skunk cabbage. *Begin making a list of spring ephemerals you find. I have a chart of the flowers based on their peak blooming times I can give you. 

*One of the first signs of spring is the sound of the frog Spring Peepers which begins in late February.  You can hear them in the small pond at Gulf Branch if you arrive in the late morning. 

March

*Some wonderful ephemerals start blooming.  Look for spring beauty, bloodroot, and trout lily. You can bike to Arlington library to begin to watch the spring ephemerals appear. You can also go to Meadowlarke gardens which has a native path walk.  If you want to find many ephemerals growing naturally, go to Scott’s Run.  

April

*Some new ephemerals that will come out this month are Virginia bluebells, Dutchman’s breeches, squirrel corn, and Jack in the pulpit begin. 

*This is a great time to start looking for the spring butterflies. 

*From April to May warblers and other neotropical birds begin passing through Virginia.  In mid April ruby-throated hummingbirds start coming to Virginia. This is a great time to sign up for a guided bird walk in our area to begin learning how to spot and identify birds.  

* Starting in April try learning a few bird calls of common backyard birds.  You can go to this weblink All About Birds, https://www.allaboutbirds.org or download the Merlin phone app. It’s good to learn these calls throughout the spring.  

Here are three to start you off:  

Cardinal -  Listen for the slow clear liquid whistle that seems to say, "What cheer, cheer, cheer". 

Carolina Wren - A rapid and repeated, "Tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea".

Downy Woodpecker -  A rapidly decending whinney. It starts with a "Pick", and may move into rapidly descending "dah,dah,dah,dah,dah.

May

*The Mayapples are blooming.

June

*Prickly pear is blooming.

*Bluebirds, chickadees and Carolina wrens may be on their second brood by now.  See if you can spot them.  

*Fireflies start to come out now!  Just spend some time out in the evenings in your yard or on walks in areas with grass. If you go to Tuckahoe Park, you may find them flashing in unison. 

July

*This is a great time to do some water sports. Look at the Fairfax Parktakes calendar to see if you can do a birding by kayaking guided tour at Lake Accotink for example. There is an eagle’s nest at this park.

*One of my favorite summer trips is taking a lazy river ride from near Linden, Virginia using Front Royal Outdoors to rent our boats.    

*Late July to early August, go out at night and look for shooting stars (Persiads)

*July-August activity "Can you find the first red leaves?" Even as early as late July, the Sweetgum trees in particular begin to get a few bright red leaves that drop to the ground. I think of these as the earliest harbingers of Fall coming.

August

*August is the time for the "Dog Day cicadas", so-called annual cicadas. Listen for them buzzing and you may see some flying around or on the ground after they have completed their cycle. (These are not to be confused with our famous 17-year cicadas.)

*If you are fascinated by insects, August and September are peak times for insect variety and abundance.

Finally, if you like reading about nature, check out this Washington Post column with seasonal divisions.

You might find some fun facts here. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/urban-jungle/?media=recent/