Nature in Spring

magnolia blossom

Nature in spring is a very exciting time. So, many things are happening.

Spring begins on March 19, 20 or 21 with the equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinox is when day and night are of equal length. During the equinox the sun is directly above the Earth's equator. The Spring Equinox is sometimes called the Vernal Equinox. Vernal means spring. 

In the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed. And spring begins with the equinox on September 22 or 23.

In North America, spring moves one hundred miles north each week. In three months it moves up from the southern tip of Florida, Texas and California to the northern edges of Maine and Washington state. 

In the mountainous areas, spring advances swiftly through valleys and climbing higher and higher up the mountains with each passing day. 



Rain flows heavily in spring and vernal pools fill. Vernal pools are temporary swallow ponds which fill with water after snow melts in the spring. They are the breeding and feeding grounds for amphibians and insects. Vernal pools are where you may find spring peepers and wood frogs. 

As spring moves along, the days lengthen as the sun stays longer in the sky. The nature calendar has more information on happenings during the spring season.

white bleeding heart

Plants in Spring

Nature in spring is about reproduction. In late winter and early spring tree buds swell and bloom. The tree blossoms are by pollinated insects and the wind. A flower structure invites pollination by spring breezes or bumblebees.

Plants bloom in a orderly sequence year after year. The earliest plants catch the early pollinators of insects and wind. The early bloomers are bulbs such as Canada Mayflower, irises, and lilies. Early blooming trees include redbuds, magnolias, Norway maples, and rhododendrons. Early blooming flowers include bleeding hearts, violets, and spring beauties.

Spring is a great time to start keeping a chart of the blooming sequence of the plants, trees and shrubs in your area. Phenology is observing the relationship between climate and the life cycles of plants and animals. And now is a good time to begin or continue observing those relationships.

male American Goldfinch

Animals in Spring

For animals, this season is a time of emergence and migration. Insects and hibernators emerge from their winter sleeping places. Insects emerge in sequence as the temperature and weather conditions warm up.

Birds migrate north and use flyways they may have used in the autumn to go south. Birds stake out their breeding, nesting and feeding territories so they may raise their young. The air is filled with birdsong.

Bees and bee mimics fly through the air to pollinate trees, shrubs and native flowers. Butterflies emerge after overwintering in tree crevices, as adults, eggs, larva, or cocoons. Salamanders, toads and frogs emerge from hibernation. Frogs sing their mating songs.

Young mammals migrate to establish their own home territories. This prevents overcrowding in ecosystems. Young animals that are inexperienced at crossing roads often end up as roadkill.


The Night Sky in Spring

The constellation highlights of the night sky include the Big Dipper, Virgo, Leo and Cancer.



Nature in spring bursts with life and activity. It is a time of birth, rebirth and renewal. Forest and field turn from brown to green. It is a good and busy season for nature study. Keeping a nature journal is a great way to keep track of all the things that are taking place.

I'm moving.

 I will be moving my blog to a new Wordpress site.

The domain address will remain the same. www.donnallong.com

I will be able to add more information on attracting birds, nature journaling, and the Philadelphia natural history.

And pardon the mess while I move in.

See you soon,
Donna

Naturalist News - March 2011

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

Finally, winter is almost over. I like winter, but enough already. I had to shovel one to many snowstorms, to really enjoy the snow. It was too much snow. I modest 4 - 6 (all winter) inches would have been plenty, instead of the double digits we had.

Have you noticed the first signs of spring? I saw my first flock of Robins this week. In the Philadelphia area American Robins retreat (migrate) to the shelter of woodlands. They don't really migrate to another area, they just move a short distance.

Nature Calendar: March

Nature in Spring: An overview of the season.

Spring Equinox - spring begins March 20th

New Moon - March 4th
First Quarter Moon- March 12th
Full Moon Moon- March 19th
Last Quarter Moon- March 26th

Animals: Chipmunks emerge from hibernation

Birds: Waterfowl begin northward migration, Early nesting species begin breeding, you begin to hear birds songs

Flowers: In bloom - Skunk Cabbage, Snow Trillium, Marsh Marigold, Spicebush, American Hazelnut

Trees: Tree buds swell, pollen released

What to Observe (and sketch and photograph) Right Now

Weather and Ecosystems

1. Is it really rainy? How many rainy days are there?
2. If there is a vernal pond near you, record the changes and happenings there.
3. If you travel out of your region, notice what is happening in places away from your home.
4. Keep track of the lengthening days. What time does the sun rise and set?

Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)

Plants

1. Draw or photograph the new buds on trees.
2. Keep a nature calendar of blooming flowers. Learn about blooming sequences and phenology.
3. How many wind pollinated trees are in your neighborhood?
4. Draw the parts and structure of flowers.

Animals

1. Keep an eye out for roadkills. Roadkills can tell you what animals share your home area with you.
2. Keep a list and draw the first butterflies. When do they emerge? Study their life cycles using butterfly identification and natural history guides.
3. What insects emerge first?
4. Listen for the first chorus of frogs
5. Learn the differences between bumblebees, honey bees and other bees and wasps.

Birds

1. Keep track of which migrating birds arrive first.
2. Listen for the start of bird song. Try to learn the songs of two or three species.
3. Take notice of the shrubs and trees where birds build their nests and establish territory.
4. Watch birds has they go about their life cycle of migration, courtship and raising young.

Weather and Ecosystems

1. Is it really rainy? How many rainy days are there?
2. If there is a vernal pond near you, record the changes and happenings there.
3. If you travel out of your region, notice what is happening in places away from your home.
4. Keep track of the lengthening days. What time does the sun rise and set?

Plants

1. Draw or photograph the new buds on trees.
2. Keep a nature calendar of blooming flowers. Learn about blooming sequences by noting who's blooming now.
3. How many wind pollinated trees are in your neighborhood?
4. Draw the parts and structure of flowers.

Animals

1. Keep an eye out for roadkills. Roadkills can tell you what animals share your home area with you.
2. Keep a list and draw the first butterflies. When do they emerge? Study their life cycles using butterfly identification and natural history guides.
3. What insects emerge first?
4. Listen for the first chorus of frogs
5. Learn the differences between bumblebees, honey bees and other bees and wasps.

Birds

1. Keep track of which migrating birds arrive first.
2. Listen for the start of bird song. Try to learn the songs of two or three species.
3. Take notice of the shrubs and trees where birds build their nests and establish territory.
4. Watch birds has they go about their life cycle of migration, courtship and raising young.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - female

Citizen Science to Participate In:

Project Feederwatch
Project Feederwatch is still going on. It ends the first Friday in April and you can still participate. I have been entering my data all winter. I like the feeling of helping out the birds by monitoring their abundance. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/index.html 


Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2011 Migration
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird have been spotted in Northern Florida. This is the only species of hummingbird regularly seen in our area. In several weeks they will be in our area. Hummingbird,net has a map which shows where the birds have been spotted.http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

Migration Northward has Begun
You can keep an eye on the process of spring at The Journey North. The program is for students K-12. It focuses on observing the progress of animal migration and seasonal change. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/


Until next month, Enjoy the beauty.

Mourning Doves

I went into my garden to find beauty. This Mourning Dove sat quietly and calmly beneath the tube feeders. Perhaps it was waiting for the songbirds to drop seeds they don't want from the tube feeder onto the the ground. The Doves could then eat the dropped seeds.



 After a moment or two, I noticed the chest feathers on this bird's breast. The ruffled feathers are just over the bare spot birds have. The feathers overlap and cover a spot which has no feathers on it. I think all birds that incubate eggs have these bare spots. The bare skin transfers body heat to the eggs, helping to warm them.

Mourning Doves have chicks from February until November. They don't have to wait until the insects and spiders are abundant like other birds.

The sound of cooing signals the mating and courtship of a pair of Doves.

From the ruffled appearance of the breast feathers, I assume that this bird is incubating eggs. If this is true, then this bird might be a female as males incubate during the day and females during the night.

Mourning Doves feed their young a form of milk they make in their crop. It is called "pigeon milk" or crop milk. Both male and female doves make this milk. It is secreted by the crop lining. The milk is an extremely nutritious food with more protein and fat than is found in either cow's milk or human milk.

Flamingos also produce a milk-like substance to feed their young.

The young doves insert their beaks into the corner of their parents mouths. This action stimulates the parents to produce the milk.

The chicks are fed this milk for five to ten days after hatching and then they are gradually introduced to a diet of regurgitated seeds or fruit.

The Earth is a fascinating and mysterious place, where birds make milk and chipmunks sleep through the winter.

To read more about Mourning Doves visit Cornell Lab of Ornithology  of Birds website.

Wildlife Rehabilitation in Philly

Peregrine Falcon at Academy of Natural Sciences

 The Schuylkill Wildlife Rehab Center in Roxobourgh was highlighted on NBC Channel 10. The center is the only rehab center in the area. It is the place you take an injured hawk, possum or owl.

There is a short video on the center and the work they do.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/shows/nonstop/Dawn_s_Pet_Project__Wildlife_Rehabilitation_Philly_Style_Philadelphia-116674229.html

The center will have a Wildlife Clinic orientation on Wednesday March 16th or Saturday, March 19th for those who might like to work rehabilitating injured animals.

The Clinic at 304 Port Royal Ave. on

Wednesday, March 16th

from  6:30pm to 7:30pm or

Saturday, March 19th

from 11am to 12pm

for an introduction to the Clinic. 

Go to ww.schuylkillcenter.org for more information.

Remnants of Winter, Signs of Spring

 Today was overcast and cloudy and I was restless. I dressed and went outside into my garden. I wanted to find five wondrous things.

The first thing I found was a dried rose blossom. Pale and papery it hung with bowed head. It looked so delicate it was a marvel it made it thorough the winter.



 I walked to the end of my garden, to see if the snowdrops were up. I had thought about them for the past week, but snow still covered the ground. Finally, in the last few days the snow melted. And there they were, the snowdrops, small and lovely. Last year the snowdrops were in full bloom on March 6th. More snowdrops will be up in the next couple of weeks.



Underneath the porch, the Northern Blue Flags are up. These native wetland plants are hard to thin. No matter how much I dig up, they multiple and are just as thick the following year. I think many people would be surprised to learn that these are native plants, but they are.



 I just like the crinkly, orange brown of this leftover Maple leaf.



This resident female Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) flew right by me and landed on the old and slightly rusty clothesline pole in my garden. Woodpeckers always cling to this pole instead of perching on branches and other horizontal surfaces. Woodpecker have four toes. Two toes point forward and two point backward, so they can cling vertically, but not perch horizontally. This separates them from the three toes in front, one toe in back, songbirds.

Just twenty minutes outside on a dreary overcast day, and I found beauty in the world.

Cottage Gardening with Native Plants

I was asked to write a guest post on BeautifulWildlifeGardening.com.

Check out my guest post on how this popular gardening style can be used to support our local ecosystems.

Great backyard Bird Count - Starts this Friday

This Friday, I will be participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count. It runs from Friday, February 18 through Monday, February 21, 2011.  It is the first time I have submitted data for this citizen science project. I don't think it will be much different from Project Feederwatch, that I participate in.

The Great Backyard Bird Count, like Project Feederwatch, monitors the abundance, distribution and winter bird movement of birds in North America.

I think it is important to count and submit data on urban birds. An article, last year, in the scientific journal Nature, revealed that ecologists have neglected the study of urban ecosystems.  There is a notion afoot, that animals and plants must disappear (die off) in the presence of humans. The numbers are often reduced, but many animals live in cities. What I often write about is how we can provide good lives for all the inhabitants of the city, human and non-human.

Book review: Naturalist Notebook

About a year ago, I reviewed this book on keeping a naturalist's notebook. I received such nice comments about the Grinnell series the other week, that I decided to re-mention this one.

Review of How to Keep a Naturalist's Notebook

Winter photos after the ice storm

icy evergreen leaves

After last night's ice storm, it was very beautiful with ice on shiny branches. It looked like a winter wonderland. But, thankfully, the temperature warmed up and the ice began to melt. Many trees fell under the weight of the heavy ice-laden branches. And many people lost power.

But, an ice storm is still a great time to take photos. While at work, I ran outside on a break and snapped these photos.

icy tree buds

icy tree pods

soft lovely orange leaves

My Winter in Philadelphia photostream has some of my favorite photos.

Frozen twig

frozen twig, originally uploaded by donnallong.

Can you say, "tired of snow"? Even I, am tired of shoveling, chopping and piling the fluffy white stuff.

But then I see a image like this and it all seems worth it. WInter is just beautiful.

My "Winter in Philadelphia" flickr photostream has some of my best photos.

The Color Red in Winter

Another winter collage

Can We Make It to Mars?

Home Sweet Home (NASA Photo)

I watched a NOVA show entitled, "Can We Make It to Mars"? hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. I have been watching quite a few of these shows in the past two years. Maybe because there are more of them.

What I carry away from these shows, is just how wonderful and special Planet Earth is. I have said this before but I truly think some people believe we are just a couple of years away from boarding a spaceship or walking thorough a wormhole to some pristine and abundant planet to start over again.

Boy, are they wrong. They seem to have no idea how dangerous and inhospitable space is for us earthlings, including plants and other animals.

Besides not having oxygen to breathe and being freezing cold, space has these dangers.

Danger One: Meteoroids.
A pea-sized meteoroid can travel at 16,000 miles per hour and pierce the hull of a spaceship. The space programs have lost spacecraft because of bombardment by meteoroids. NASA is developing a hulll than can hold-up to meteoroid bombardment.

Danger Two: Zero Gravity
In zero gravity, sure you can fly but you also lose bone mass and muscle strength.

Danger Three: Cosmic Rays
Yeah, this isn't Flash Gordon's cosmic rays. These bright flashes of light pierce spaceships and astronauts brains (yes, brains) to deliver very heavy doses of radiation predisposing the body's cells to develop cancer. And the astronauts know when they go up into space, the are increasing their chances.

After I watch a show, or read a article or book on the topic of deep space travel, I am convinced humanity is quite insane. We have a beautiful home planet that supports us humans and abundant life, yet some of us dream of hurling through space at mind-numbing speed, picking up radiation and eating food that was cooked and stored several years before.

I highly recommend watching, "Can We make It to Mars?'". It makes me appreciate the home we have in new ways.

And since I plan on staying put on my home planet, I fight to save it.

Photo credit: Image created by Reto Stockli with the help of Alan Nelson, under the leadership of Fritz Hasler (NASA)

http://www.birdcount.org

Circumpolar Stars in the Night Sky

stars in the constellation Cassiopeia

I don't know what it is, but winter makes me look up. When I arrive home after dark, I often find myself looking up at a clear, cold night sky. The stars always seem more sparkling and brillant in the winter sky. And a night sky seems clearer.

When I was in junior high, I used to sit on my front steps, with a star map in hand, and pick out all the constellations. I had a very simple book of star maps for each month. I wish I still had that book, but it disappeared somehow.

After weeks of looking in a cold night sky, I offer this information on star gazing. As always I focus on the basics you need to know to amaze your friends and yourself with your natural history knowledge.

Circumpolar is Latin for "around the pole".  Circumpolar stars are any stars that appear to circle around the Earth's north or south poles.  Each "pole" or hemisphere has its own set of constellations. These constellations always appear in the sky. They never sink below the horizon. They can be seen no matter what the season.

North Pole - the Northern Hemisphere 

The northern hemisphere's constellations circle around the North pole. The North Star is almost directly over the North Pole. Therefore, the northern circumpolar stars seem to circle the North star.

In the Northern Hemisphere, there are only 6 such constellations (above lat. 40 degrees N). The designation of 40 degrees north latitude passes through Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio, and just south of the northern California border.  The constellations are:

• Ursa Minor  (the Little Dipper or the Lesser Bear)
• Ursa Major (the Big Dipper or the Great Bear)
• Cassiopeia (the Lady in theChair - the constellation shaped like a "W"
• Cepheus (the King)
• Draco (the Dragon)
• Camelopardalis 

Just six? That's right just six. 

And FYI:

South Pole - the Southern Hemisphere

 Southern hemisphere constellations don't circle around a star, because there is no "south star'. The point where it would be if it existed is called the South Celestial Pole. The longest axis of the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross points almost directly to the spot where the "south star" would be if it existed.
In the Southern Hemisphere, there are 11 constellations which circle the south celestial pole. They tend to be smaller than their northern counterparts, so there are more of them.  The constellations are:

• Toucan
• Southern Cross
• Octans
• Apus
• Triangulum Australe
• Musca, Chameleon
• Volans
• Mensa
• Reticulum
• Hydrus
• Pavo

By knowing the circumpolar stars you will know the main constellations. Then it will be easier to pick out the new ones as the seasons change. A star chart is a map of the night sky. Very simple ones show the biggest, brightest stars. More complex charts show hundreds of stars and celestial bodies.

Star maps are available in astronomy magazines.  Sky and Telescope has a weekly "sky-at-a-glance" feature on its website.  This same website has many beginning star-gazing how-to's.

Wikipedia has a cool rotating circumpolar graph and a good explanation of circumpolar stars.

Keep looking up.

Photo credit: NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection. IRAC Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA/ESA/STScI Visible Light Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA/DSS

Observation Checklist for Journal Keeping

field notes using observation checklist

I write this observation checklist in the back of my field notebook and nature journal. Following it has improved my note-taking tremendously. I begin every journal entry with this information. It is part of the Grinnell system of keeping a naturalist's field journal.


• time (use 24-hour clock format; 1435 for 2:35p.m.)
• date (use international format: 03 September2007)
• locality (place)
• route (how did you get there)
• weather (temperature, cloud types, wind, rain, etc.)
• habitat (backyard, forest, desert, wetland,etc)
• vegetation (where, insect visitors, blooming?)
• animal behavior
• general notes
• sketches, maps, photos, information
• arrival and departure times
• list of species seen

To ensure that you are someone in the future can read your notes here are some tips.
• use acid-free paper (Moleskin Brand makes several models
• use fade-proof, waterproof ink (Micron, Pilot G7 and Stafford Uniball are good models)
• use numbers ("1") instead of the word ("one")
• use as few abbreviations as possible
• number journal pages in the margins

Catalog for the Grinnell System

catalog page after the Grinnell System

A catalog tracks the objects you collect.

It assigns a number (starting with 1) of all the specimens such as pine cones, rocks, etc. that you pick up during your field observations.

This is a separate section of your Grinnell field journal or a separate book all together.

At the end of the year, the print format record is closed out. The last page of a year ends and a new page is started for the new year.

Professional naturalists employed by museums donate their collections to their employing institutions to preserve specimens. It is often a condition of their employment and they have legal licenses to collect.

Please note: I only pick up fallen objects. Such as pine cones, leaves, shells, acorns, nuts, a feather, rocks, etc. I don't pick live plants or bird's nests.

Setting Up the Page

Title each page "Catalog".
Label or tag each specimen you collect.

For each specimen tag or label. Include this same information in the catalog.

• item number
• date collected
• location of collection
• collector's name
• identification of object

A note about identification for the hard-core scientists among us. For professional naturalist collections, a taxonomist, who specializes in species identification will identify a specimen. The field collector may not. A professional field collector may sometimes write the species scientific name on back of the label - in pencil. In case they make a mistake. But this shouldn't stop us amateurs.

If you draw, photograph or attach an object to your nature journal page, including this information will be very helpful in learning about your area.

A record of where you found or collected an object makes that object more useful to your nature study.

I had a box full of leaves that I had collected over the years that had no record of where I found them. I could only say this is a "Scarlet Oak leaf". But, couldn't return to the tree to see if it was still there or if there was any new to find out.

I eventually composted my collection. It had limited nature study value.

Species Account of Grinnell System

Species account in my journal

A Species Account is a record of animal, plant or other nature observations.
Since little is known about the majority of animal and plant species, almost any information is useful and valuable.

The entries are geared toward recording phenology, ecology and behavior.
In the Grinnell Field Journal System, the journal would narrate general observations. The species account would be for specific birds, plants, weather, rocks, etc, that you are focusing on.

I have read that college biology students are required to make a detailed observation pages of all the plants and animals that they observe. For the amateur naturalist, that might be too much. Choose what works best for you.

These entries are where observation of regularly or intensely studied species is collected in one place. This makes it easy to locate information on behavior, nesting, courtship, bloom times, etc.

To be really valuable, the observations should be made at regular intervals. Professional naturalists plan out a schedule. Perhaps, a certain plant is scheduled to be observed every day at 10:00 am. Or a bird's nesting behavior once a week.

Having this information in one place saves hunting through nature journals to find out about a particular species.

Say, you were asked to write a short article, poem, etc., for your nature club newsletter on the House Sparrows in your local area. Having detailed observations about the birds' habits would make writing that article much easier.

Hints and Tips
• record the locality of sighting, observer and date
• For frequently traveled trails, use standard references or prominent landscape features. State the distance from the pond, the big red boulder, etc.
• use a compass or pace off measurements
• record observations, while you are observing them

Grinnell System - Field Journal

Grinnell style field journal

A field journal is what professional naturalists and biologists use. It is a nature journal which uses the scientific method.

It is where you write out your field experiences and observations in a diary-like format.

The entries are written in complete sentences and narrate what was observed.

It is drawn from the notes taken in the field notebook. You basically take the scribbled notes and partial sentences of your notebook and turn them into full coherent sentences.

It is ideally written in the afternoon or evening of the observation. Don't let too much time past (even 24 hours) before writing. Memories fade very quickly.

It includes information gathered based on the observation checklist and what you observed. Also how you did something, such as finding tracks and signs, where you looked for plants and animals.

Write on only one side of the paper. Usually the right side.

This leaves the left side for maps, photos, sketches that complement what is written on the right page.

If you are left- handed you can reverse this.

The book usually covers one calendar year.

The journal can be in many forms. The original form Grinnell recommended was a 6X9 loose-leaf notebook. But, 6X9 loose-leaf paper that doesn't yellow is hard to find. I tend to like a hardbound, Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large . Probably because at the end of the year. I have a pretty illustrated book. 

More on the Grinnell System:
Grinnell System Overview

Indian Moon Names

Harvest moon over my house in Philadelphia

 I have always like the Indian names of full moons. Since Philadelphia is Algonquin territory, I use the terms they use. These terms have local variations, but these are pretty basic to follow. The named moons will span across more than one Julian/Georgian calendar month.

These names tell us more about the land than the standard Julian/Georgian calendar names. January is named for the god Janus, but what does it tell about the land we live in?

For each entry in my nature journal, I like to note the moon phases, which is why there is a moon phase widget on the side panel of this blog.

Many people count from full moon to full moon as one moon. A good way to follow the moons through the year is to display full moon on an electronic calendar or mark or buy a paper calendar with the moons already shown. Then it is just a matter of placing the full moon names on the proper spaces.

Full Wolf Moon - January
Apparently, wolf packs howled hungrily outside of Indian villages at night. It's no wonder many Indian villages were palisaded with wooden fences.

Full Snow Moon or Full Hunger Moon - February
The month of the heaviest snowfall. It is also the toughest month to find food, for animals and humans. And remember to feed the birds.

Full Worm or Full Sap Moon- March Moon
This is when the ground begins to thaw and we see the first tiny earthworms wiggling along the ground and their spiral casts appears. The robins should also be back from their winter in nearby woods when the earthworms appear. This is also the time when sap begins to rise in the trees and Maple sap is tapped to make syrup.

Full Pink Moon or Full Fish Moon - April
When the Shadbush or Serviceberry blooms. Also when the shad begin to run and swim up stream to spawn. This happens in the Delaware River here in Philadelphia. The Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia holds a Shadfest in April.  There are an abundance of blooming flowers during this time, like Pink Creeping Ground Phlox. This moon is also called Full Corn Planting Moon.

Full Strawberry Moon - June
Strawberries are ripe and ready to be picked!

The Full Buck Moon or Full Thunder Moon - July
The time when male deer begin growing their fighting antlers in preparation for mating season. And it is also the time of summer thunderstorms

Full Sturgeon Moon or Green Corn Moon - August
Fresh corn on the cob is ready for eating.

Full Corn Moon - September (often the Harvest Moon)
Corn is ready for harvest. The Harvest moon is the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox. This bright full moon allows people to gather crops late until the evening, during the rush to gather food before freezing sets in.

Full Harvest Moon - October (often the Hunter's moon)
Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief eastern American Indian staples, are now ready for gathering. The Hunter's Moon is the next full moon after the Harvest Moon. This bright moon makes it easier for hunter's to see at night.

Full Beaver Moon or Frosty Moon- November
Beavers actively prepare for winter and so should we.

The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon - December
The long night of the Winter solstice marks the longest night of the year.

The full moon names were explained courtesy of the Farmer's Almanac -  http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names.