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Current Lunar Phase Friday, November 20, 2009       Almanac for November 2009 Natural events, happenings, and fearless predictions based upon 25 years of observations at Hidden Pond. Your observations may vary! Hidden Pond is not responsible for errors, erratic behavior or other whims of nature. 1st week: Full moon November 2. Ferns are all brown except for Christmas ferns which stay green all winter. Some of this year's acorns germinate now and send out skinny but surprisingly strong taproots. Blindfolded, anyone can tell the season of the year by the smell of damp decaying leaves. The thick leathery leaves of the oaks turn from deep burgundy to brown before falling with a clattering sound. 2nd week: Leaves pile up, falling even in the still air. Once the leaves are down it is easier to spot the past summer's bird nests. Persimmon seeds are now often seen in raccoon and fox scat. Some seeds must first be processed in an animal's gut in order to germinate. Cedar waxwings, always in flocks also eat persimmon fruit. Deer, squirrel, and turkey all eat lots of acorns. Mature red-tailed hawks migrate south following the mountains to our west, taking advantage of the thermal updrafts that they find there. 3rd week: Seeds now fall from the upright seed cones of tulip poplars. The seeds spin as they fall which helps the wind carry these seeds great distances. Flocks of turkeys spend their days walking through the woods scratching the leaves aside to find insects, spiders and seeds for food, and spend their nights roosting together in trees. Willow trees stand out because they are still green. They are among the first to become green in spring and the last to turn in the fall. 4th week: The woods now look wintry, with American beech trees among the few to keep their light brown leaves all winter long. These leaves will drop next spring when there is no longer danger of frost. The coats of deer, squirrels, and mice now change from a tawny brown to gray; to better match the gray winter woods. Hidden Pond Nature Center, Fairfax County Park Authority 8511 Greeley Boulevard, Springfield, VA 22152. Phone 703/451-9588