September is noted for having heavy dews that bejewel cobwebs and soak your feet when walking through grass. The reason is that nights are getting longer, which allows the grass and other objects more time to drop below the dew point temperature and moisture in the air condenses on the cooled surface. Dew forms on vegetation more readily than other surfaces such as pavement because leaves and grass typically are thin and suspended in the air, causing them to cool more readily to reach dew point temperature.

The Autumn Equinox is one of two times of the year when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are equal in length. That’s as far into the science of what’s going on that I’ll go. It’s the astronomical beginning of fall, which is my favorite season of the year. After a long hot and humid summer, the crisp cool mornings, balmy temperatures, and visual clarity of lower humidity are very welcome.

You’ve likely got some age on you is you remember singing about Susie “pickin’ up pawpaws, put ‘em in her pocket, way down yonder in the Pawpaw Patch!” The Pawpaw is a curious native tree that gets attention this time of year when its fruit start to ripen. Also called a "Winter Banana" and "Custard Apple", the fruit looks like it should be growing in a tropical rain forest rather than the Appalachian Mountains. It is in fact a relative of several tropical trees in South America, and even the name "Pawpaw" is tropical in origin, being a corruption of the papaya tree to which it is not related.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Interpreter, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
If you hike in the woods late summer into fall you are likely to have a face to literal face run-in with spiderweb.
The culprit is the spiny orb weaver, who has a knack for building webs across trails at eye level. The number of webs increase this time of year as the spiders increase their food energy intake to be able to lay eggs before hard winter sets in.

This fall looks to be a good year for nut producing trees like hickory and beech, and oak acorns aren’t looking bad either. Fruit and nut production varies from year to year, and the reasons are many.

The dictionary defines a forest as "a tract of land covered with trees and underbrush." That's probably the way a lot of people think of the forest, but I submit to you that a forest is more than a bunch of trees.

Everyone who has walked off the beaten path has had an unfortunate run in with sawbriar (Smilax glauca). It's the green woody vine that wraps around your legs and proceeds to slice into your skin with sharp thorns.

The more I learn about plants the more I realize they are not the inanimate life forms they seem to be. Yes, animals are cool with the leg and wing thingees that allows them to move about and get our attention. But plants now, plants stand there quiet all day long and perform a miracle: they make things appear out of thin air.

Sweet tasting blueberries are a popular food for animals and humans in mid to late summer. Blueberry jam or fresh blueberries on top of some corn flakes is hard to beat.
We have several types of wild blueberries in our area, but they all have similar features. All are shrubs with many branches, with two-inch leaves that are spear shaped, smooth edged, and a short stem. The spring blooming flowers are small, white, and bell-like.

The hummingbird needs no introduction since everyone at one time or other has been mesmerized by its bright color, tiny size and amazing aerial abilities.

There are several hundred species of hummingbirds in the world, but only one is found in the eastern US, the Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). It is around 3 inches long and weighs only one-half ounce (hummingbirds are the smallest of the bird world). Both sexes have metallic green feathers and a long, straw-like bill. The male has a metallic red throat while the female has a white throat.