October turned out to be quite the busy month for life in the woods. Number one reason? Bucks have re-entered the area looking for mates: three males at this point, including two yearlings. I also discovered that one of the fawns is a boy. Its pedicles, or antler nubs, are the giveaway.
The leaves also started their fall transformation. I learned that the interior of forests have less pronounced color variations, usually only yellow, due to a somewhat sustained microclimate. Red requires the leaves to produce a chemical that reacts to sun and outside stresses, which is why you most often see red leaves on the forest edges. Here is an example of that on one of the north-side trees.
Below is the interior showing "a sea of golden spicebush and fallen leaves."
The documentary is already 38 minutes edited with a finished goal of 45 minutes. In fact, the final shot and credits are already completed. What happens in the woods between now through January will determine what fills the preceding 7 minutes. I leave you with one of the foxes waking up from a mid-day nap on October 18.
