The grand finale of the glow - October is here
... Those who don't have a house now won't build one. Those who are alone now will remain so for a long time - will watch, read, write long letters...
October covers everything. It usually begins in full lushness and ends in quiet, sometimes stormy gray. In any case, one thing is clear, every sunny day could be the last for some time - this confrontation with finiteness remains the program for the next few weeks... perhaps it is also what makes it so magical.
The tenth month of the Gregorian calendar was considered sacred in the Middle Ages and therefore the perfect time to tie the knot.
In countries that switch back from summer time to standard time in October, it is the longest month of the year.
Except in leap years, it begins on the same day of the week as January.
The forest is on fire
If you are lucky enough to have Indian summer on your doorstep, please enjoy it. The foliage glows in all shades of yellow, red and brown and provides a brilliant finale to the sunny months.
However spectacular the orgy of color may be, there is a sober explanation for it.
In fact, it is the result of an emergency program in the tree's metabolism. The tree evaporates hundreds of liters of water through its leaves every day.
If deciduous trees did not shed their leaves in the fall, they would die of thirst because their roots cannot absorb water when it freezes.
The valuable substances contained in the leaves, such as starch or the green leaf pigment, are redistributed to the stem and roots. Their disappearance causes the colored leaf substances, which were previously covered by the green leaves, to disappear and create the glow of the autumn leaves.
The two faces of October
One is the golden one, that of the harvest and the flaming foliage.
The other is the gray one, the one of fog, storms and cold.
Harvesting and stockpiling is the order of the day in the golden days of October. Apples, grapes, pears, potatoes, rosehips and turnips are now ripe.
Horse chestnuts break out of their shells and inspire the imagination of children who love crafting.
Flocks of starlings scurry around like dark clouds and the nights get cooler.
The ivy is in bloom, attracting another buzzing flock of insects and the last dragonflies are flying. It's time for mice, marmots, squirrels and jays to stock up for the winter.
It's getting increasingly cozy at home and soon the kitchen stove will be filled with wood for the first time, because it's time to make yourself comfortable inside, knowing that the next summer is sure to come.
