The first thing that I want to explore with this blog is the season’s changes going on around us at this very moment. Athens County is a wonderful area that morphs into a truly beautiful landscape in the Fall. The Sun begins setting earlier, the wind begins blowing stronger, and the leaves begin changing colors. The above slideshow illustrates some of my photography attempting to capture this magic, however, I’d like to explore what’s behind all of the changes that are going on around us.
The fall, or Autumn, has not always been called by those names. Originally, this time of year was referred to as “harvest” because it is the time of year when farmers would harvest their crops. With the development of towns and cities, less and less people were becoming farmers, and so the name changed.
All things living are affected by the coming of fall and winter. Animals begin migrating or stocking up for winter. The same is true with the trees and plant life. After storing up food and energy gathered with their leaves over the summer, they can sense the days getting shorter and instinctually their leaves stop making chlorophyll (the stuff that gives them that green color). After the chlorophyll drains from the leaves, they are left with their base colors, the amazing reds and oranges that we associate with the fall. Wow!
The seasons themselves are actually caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis. At different times of the year, the Earth is in different stages of its orbit around the Sun. Parts of the Earth are actually being hit by the Sun’s rays more directly, which causes winters and summers in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Understanding these concepts can help us to appreciate the delicate balance of life on this planet. The leaves, the Sun, and the seasons themselves all come together in harmony to create the beauty of this world. Lets all try to appreciate the Fall just a little bit more this season, wudya say? :)
-Tyler
