The Starling Murmuration Moon waxes throughout the week, entering its second quarter, a bright half-moon, on September 3.
Emerging before sunrise, Venus is the Morning Star of early autumn. Orion lies squarely in the south by then, the most dramatic sign of September and October's skies.
Now squirrels are shredding Osage fruits in the woods. Rose of Sharon has suddenly lost most of its flowers. Japanese knotweed flowers darken and fall. False boneset begins to lose its brightness along the freeways.
White and violet asters, orange beggarticks and bur marigolds, late field goldenrod come into bloom, blending with the last of the purple ironweed, yellow sundrops, pale chicory, golden touch-me-nots, showy coneflowers and great blue lobelias.
Leaves accumulate in the backwaters and on sidewalks and paths. Patches of scarlet sumac and Virginia creeper mark the fencerows. Some black walnuts and cottonwoods are almost bare.
Light depression, sometimes called the September Blues, may follow the major changes taking place in the landscape and in personal or family life. This is back-to-school time for children and parents, and whether you are heading off to class or work or staying home, you may have mixed feelings about the new patterns at the close of Late Summer.
This is Bill Felker with Poor Will’s Almanack. I’ll be back again next week with notes for the first week of Early Fall. In the meantime, think about your emotions as the autumn approaches. What changes affect you most?