There has been so much bad stuff in the news lately that it is time for something positive. Autumn begins on Monday. It is my favorite season of the year, not sure why, but I like the trees turning color. I also like it when there is that little nip in the air, not a fan of the deep freeze we will probably experience in a couple of months, though. My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, also happens during the fall season. If this isn’t your favorite season, take time to enjoy it anyway.
Here are a few fun facts about this season of the year.
I used the word Autumn because I like the sound of it but apparently that is more of a British term. Americans call it fall.
You might gain weight this time of year. Researchers found it isn’t just because of what we might eat during the season. They found that lack of vitamin D reduces fat breakdown and triggers fat storage. So, get your vitamin D folks.
The yellow and orange colors in the leaves are there all year round. We just don’t see them because an abundance of chlorophyll in the summer makes us see them as green. Chlorophyll decreases as the sun weakens and the days grow short and then the leaves show their true colors.
Red and purple leaves, on the other hand, are only that color because of the presence of sugar and sap trapped in the leaves.
Evergreens stay green because their leaves or needles are covered in wax and they don’t freeze.
Birds prepare for their winter migration during this time of year. We’ve already seen the geese overhead. The Artic Tern travels 11,000 miles each way for its annual migration. That is a long way. You can go to the BirdCast Migration Dashboard on your phone and see how many and what birds are traveling overhead as you sleep at night. For example, 129,200 are estimated to have flown over Clark County on the night of September 14. It is estimated that they flew at a speed of 8 mph and were at a height of 1,700 feet.
More babies are conceived during the fall and winter than during other times of the year. No one is sure why, but some think it might be because of lack of sunlight or even hark back to some ancient mating ritual. It has also been found that babies born during autumn months are more likely to live to 100 than the rest of us.
Halloween, one of my least favorite holidays, also occurs during the fall season. It comes from an ancient Celtic tradition that says that ghosts roamed the earth on Halloween and people wore disguises to hide from the spirits. It is still about costumes for some, but also a goldmine for the candy selling industry these days.
Generally, the autumn equinox falls on either September 22 or 23, but once in a great while, it falls on September 24. This last happened in 1931 and will happen again in 2303.
Then there is Greek mythology, which says that autumn began when Persephone was abducted by Hades to be the Queen of the Underworld. In distress Persephone’s mother, Demeter (the goddess of the harvest), caused all the crops to die until her daughter was allowed to return, marking spring.
Hope you enjoy these few fun facts about autumn. Also take time to enjoy the fall colors, the pumpkins and mums, the corn mazes, and the chill in the air.