Autumn gets under way Iain Ferguson September is a month when signs of plants and animals making themselves ready for colder weather start to become apparent. Lush, green ferns and bracken are turning yellow, dark orange and then brown, before they vanish completely as though they were never there. On the hills the deer are starting to rut, so as warned in previous Lochaber Life articles, steer clear and give them a wide berth so that you may not accidentally be a casualty of their high-powered hormones. Bell heather will be making its own colourful display and many moths, some butterflies, bees and numerous species of insects will be out in force, driven by the need to gather the precious food which remains. Perhaps, with the colder weather the dreaded midge will start to drop back in number, giving you the opportunity to get out and about without fear of continuous small insect assault. However they do still favour damp, windless conditions around vegetation, so do
choose your route with care. As you probably know only the females bite and are attracted by the carbon dioxide that mammals breath out. Once they get your blood they then lay their eggs and the cycle continues. Underfoot (and do take time to look down) the wood ants will be working away gathering food and material for their nests which are built from twigs and leaf litter to house the all important egglaying queen. Up to 100,000 ants can call the nest their home. On the water, look out for grey seals which haul themselves on to convenient rocks to rest, perhaps even to enjoy the warm rays of the sun before they fade too much to make a difference. In the garden I’m sure (well, I know, actually), that there is a lot of tidying up to be done, perhaps even thinking about a some of the final grass cuts while the weather is dry. One thing I am sure of, that whatever the season, nature is always on the go and always busy, so never stop looking for all these little things, which make the outdoors so much more interesting.
LOCHABER LIFE
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