Cycles 



of Nature 



It's autumn. The eye-squinting 

 glare of summer eases as the sun 

 crosses lower in the sky. The pave- 

 ment ceases to sizzle. As the red and 

 blue stars and stripes of awnings, 

 bathing 



suits and o • 

 beach O. 

 towels O © 



are folded for 

 the last time, 

 nature's own glorious 

 colors unfurl. 



Although summer's 

 fun (and sunburn) may be 

 fading, the yearly rustle of 

 fall approaches. Many feel it's 

 the best time to be at the North 

 Carolina coast. 



"Along the shore, summer's 

 frenzy of living activity matures to a 

 season of storms, wildflower colors 

 and the coming and goings of familiar 

 seaside animals," writes naturalist 

 Todd Ballantine in "Tideland Trea- 

 sure." "As October breezes 'thru, and 

 November nudges ever-nearer, the salt 

 marshes explode with a frenzy of 

 animal travel and the harvest of 

 golden grains." 



Jeannie Kraus often leads groups 

 of schoolchildren on nature walks 

 during this season. "The fall is really 

 the best time to see plants and animals 

 on the coast," says Kraus, an educator 

 at the N.C. Maritime Museum in 

 Beaufort. "There's more variety, and 

 there's a little more color. Many 

 animals have reached adulthood and 



By Rachel Wharton 



have had their young. It's kind of like 

 the marsh comes to maturity." 



Every fall, lavender, glasswort, 

 asters and goldenrod flower, tinting 

 the marsh purple, red, pink and gold. 



In the maritime forests, 

 deer, squirrels and 

 foxes feed on 

 the shiny 

 berries 

 of the 

 ^ yaupon. 

 Raccoon 

 tracks 

 lead to 

 the 



marsh, 

 where there 

 are plenty of 

 crabs and mussels 

 to eat. 

 Birdwatchers spy 

 ducks, hawks, sandpipers 

 and others as they migrate 

 south down the coast. Hunters take 

 aim at geese on Lake Mattamuskeet, 

 and fishermen wrangle with drum and 

 speckled trout that feed in schools. 

 Thousands of fish migrate south, 

 passing by on their way to Florida or 

 South America. Others leave the 

 estuaries for warmer waters. Croaker 

 and spot that matured in the estuaries 

 grow large enough to head for the 

 surf. 



These changes are all part of the 

 cycles of nature — cycles that still 

 control our lives. Every year, winter 

 melts to spring, spring warms up to 

 summer and summer fades to fall. 

 These seasons are brought on by the 

 earth's tilt as it travels around the sun. 

 As the world turns, day length and 

 temperatures change. Plants and 

 animals change too — adjusting and 



preparing to continue their own cycles 

 of life. 



"In the fall, there's change, prepara- 

 tion, stress — a difference in the chance 

 of survival," says Lundie Spence, N.C. 

 Sea Grant's marine education specialist. 

 "You've got some big-picture stuff 

 going on. In the spring and fall, animals 

 and plants get ready." 



This September — as days inevita- 

 bly shorten, leaves color and fall, and 

 temperatures slowly drop — many 

 coastal organisms will begin to move. 

 They may travel 10,000 miles in search 

 of food, search for places to lay their 

 eggs, or burrow into the mud to hide 

 for the winter. 



Now our coast is 

 continuing its patterns and 

 cycles and phases and 

 stages of life. And it's 

 these seasonal shuffles 

 that offer a chance for 

 people to sit back 

 and watch. • 



2 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1995 



