Changing seasons

What is it that makes people exclaim that Fall is in the air? Is it the evenings new chill? The shorter days? Noticing the riot of color as the creek canopies add their splash of bright yellows and gold? Where just a few weeks ago, it was the deep rich greens that caught our eye. To those of us who spend a good deal of time each season outside, we know it is all of the above. But mostly it is a faint fragrance in the air that says, “Fall is arriving”. Basically, that brisk, crisp, slightly sharp scent, is the smell of decaying leaves. Not really what most folks want to think of as they inhale with closed eyes and think of pumpkin pie.

Such an important part of the natural cycle, decay, and this years’ monsoonal rains gave boost to a lot of organics. Now as we battle the profusion of “beggar-tick and cosmos” seeds that have cloaked our hillsides along with many native wildflowers and grasses, the soils await the new plant material soon to lie on very wet ground and begin their journey back into the soil.

This has been an amazing summer with Kingston receiving over 23 inches of rain since June 17th after seeing only two inches the first six months of 2022. The natural world seems to know better than us when to wait to leaf out or to burst into bloom and make the most of the weather. So, as you mosey along Highway 152 and enjoy the green clad mountainsides changing hues with the autumn chill, feel thankful for those rains which really put the final touch on the Black Fire, helped recharge our watersheds and gave the Black Range an Irish touch for a few months.

And please, drive aware of the many deer and other wildlife that live in the canyons our roadways often pass through.

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Steve Morgan
Steve Morgan

Steve Morgan is a retired landscape architect who spent most of his 35 year career in Arizona and New Mexico. His current career is giving Chautauquas or Living History performances, as Aldo Leopold. He happily calls Kingston, New Mexico his home now, nestled in the Black Range Mountains only 3 miles from the Aldo Leopold Wilderness. His writings are strongly shaped by Aldo Leopold’s love of the wild lands, with respect and compassion for the land – the soils, waters, plants and animals. Steve’s compassion for nature is evident by his strong, driving desire to open people’s eyes to the marvel and joy of experiencing the natural world.

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