I got to my sit spot today at 4:50 pm just about half an hour before sunset. It was a beautiful evening to enjoy at my sit spot. The time I got there put me sort of in the middle of dusk to make my observations. I have been to my sit spot around this time before however with daylight saving, the time change, and the days getting shorter it was a unique experience. This was precisely why I wanted to go at this time. I wanted to see how different the same time might be over the course of a few sit spots. I also enjoy going to my sit spot near the end of the day as a way to unwind before dinner, I find my time in nature incredibly relaxing.

I know that it is the same spot it has always been but between going when there is less light and now with many of the leaves having fallen it felt almost like a whole new spot entirely. There were definitely some leaves on the ground last time I visited but now the forest floor was covered in leaf litter. The crunching of the leaves underfoot made the walk to my spot tacitly and auditorily interesting. The crunch of the leaves goes hand in hand in my mind with cooler weather and today certainly delivered. Even though it was only in the low fifties it truly felt like fall, there was a nip to the air coupled with a breeze.

The leaf litter that covered the forest floor makes it almost impossible for animals to move around without being noticed. I liked this a lot because even in the dim lighting I could easily make out the path of two squirrels chasing each other across the ground and up trees. After watching the squirrels for a while, I also noticed a yellow moth. Its’ quite path through the air was quite the dichotomy to the noisy and seemingly carless squirrels. I did notice however that the moth’s path seemed rather erratic, I wonder if the cooler weather is impacting it negatively. Rather than flying towards anything in particular it seemed to flit sort of aimlessly. Also after a quick search I believe the moth I saw could be the Orange Sulfur moth as it known commonly or Colias eurytheme as it is known scientifically. I truly enjoy my sit spot at this time and would happily return during dusk. It is a time to see or hear cool animals and it is a different lens to see the spot through.

The thing that has changed the most is definitely the sycamore tree. It has lost many of its leaves. Although in comparison to many of the trees in the area it is actually hanging on to a decent amount. This could be because it has plenty of access to water so the dryer fall may not have impacted it as much. Still it has lost many leaves and the ones remaining are mostly orange although some still have a good amount of green. The rock I have been observing has not really changed although it did not seem to have as much vegetation on it as it did previously. I’m sure that cold water sweeping across the top of it cannot make it an easy surface to grow on. Finally, the creek bank has not changed much if at all although I think the creek is a little higher than it has been in the past so I could not see as much of the bank as I have been able to in the past.