Eye on Nature

On Sept. 23, at solar noon, the sun and earth aligned. Twice a year this celestial passage brings the inhabitants of our planet as close as we ever get to an experience of equality. Across the globe, south to north, our day approaches 12 hours of light and 12 of dark. In our hemisphere, most of us think of this day as marking the end of summer, the slide into fall and winter. But for other cultures, keepers of different calendars, today marks a new year.

Whether you experience today as an ending or a beginning, change is in the air. Frosty mornings are dropping lower and lower down the mountain. The first signs of color are showing as trees begin pulling precious resources inward. Swifts are gathering around natural and human-engineered towers, marking time before joining other feathered visitors heading south. Seeds are maturing, drying, and settling into their seasonal resting places. And, of course, the sun, earth, and moon are continuing their dance as the sun yields to the moon, ushering in a new season. A season filled with beginnings and endings, changes and continuations. A bounty for all.

Welcome back!

Wally Shriner is an MHCC biology instructor and the Natural Resources Technology program faculty advisor.

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