What to Discover in Fields and Forests This Harvest Season

Field report

From golden harvest fields to mushroom-laden forest floors, here's what to discover in the landscape this month.

Rural Landscape Photography / Field Archives

With crackling leaves underfoot and shorter days on the horizon, it's time to stow away the summer gear, break out the sweatshirts, and make our transition into cool evenings and frosty mornings. Below is just a handful of ecological highlights to look forward to in this season of glowing pumpkins, colorful foliage, and the occasional soaring hawk.

The Apple Harvest Reaches Its Peak (Early Oct.)

It's time for the annual apple harvest, which happens every October. This year the picking peaks around October 8 but you can also harvest on the 7th and 9th. The orchards get their name from the varieties that grow best in this northern climate, from which the finest fruit appears to emerge.

This particular harvest is made possible by trees weathering the cycles of a perennial, decades-old orchard called a heritage grove. It last survived yet another trip through winter dormancy in 2018 and is expected to produce another strong yield in 2024.

While the apple harvest is not as dramatic as the summer berry season, there have been years where orchards defy expectations. In 1933, something called a "mast year" took place when the trees produced an extraordinarily heavy crop and experienced upwards of 500 apples per tree! Another event in 1946 resulted in over 100 bushels per acre.

Could this year be one to remember for the orchards? No one knows, but it's certainly a great excuse to spend a bit of time walking through the countryside. Fortunately, with clear, crisp autumn weather settling in, you'll be able to enjoy even the most distant orchards during this short-lived season.

Catch a Glimpse of Migrating Monarch Butterflies (Mid-Oct.)

Recognized as one of nature's greatest travelers, the monarch butterfly is our continent's most famous migratory insect (coming in with a wingspan of just under four inches) and the most iconic butterfly that has not been fully understood by scientists. Named for their regal orange and black coloring, the monarch's improbable annual migration takes them from Canada to central Mexico every fall.

By mid-October, monarchs will be streaming through in waves, while the cooler air pushes them southward. Thanks to their bright orange wings, which make them the most visible butterfly in the autumn sky, they can be spotted by anyone standing in a meadow or garden. To see them, find a patch of late-blooming flowers and wait patiently in the afternoon sun.

A Full Harvest Moon Glows Over the Fields (Early Oct.)

October's full moon is generally referred to as the Harvest Moon, so-called by farmers for the time of year when crops are gathered and stored for winter. With the start of frost season, it's also been referred to as the Falling Leaf Moon and the Nut Moon. This month's full moon will be at its largest on October 9 at 4:54 p.m. EDT, but you can catch it in all its golden glory for a few days before and after.

A Good Year to Watch the Fall Foliage Peak (Mid-Late Oct.)

Whereas last year's fall colors were mostly muted due to a warm, wet autumn, this year's show will have the advantage of cool, dry conditions leading up to a bright peak in late October.

The fall foliage display, created by pigments revealed as chlorophyll breaks down in cooling leaves, will peak around October 20 and 21. Under ideal conditions, as many as 25 tree species show peak color simultaneously, with your best bet for some breathtaking scenery coming on the cool, still mornings of the 21st.

While the sugar maples tend to produce the most spectacular reds and oranges, most forest types offer vivid displays from any roadside or hilltop vantage point. Grab a camera, get comfortable, and look around!

Late-Season Mushrooms Emerge Across Forest Floors (Late Oct.)

On October 25, those walking through damp woodlands across the temperate world will witness a spectacular fungal bloom. At its maximum, mushrooms and other fruiting bodies will cover a little over 82% of the forest floor's available dead wood, making this a "very deep" fungal season. Nonetheless, only experienced foragers should collect wild mushrooms for the table, so if you're lucky enough to find edible species, please do not eat them without the proper identification guides. To learn when specific species will start fruiting and reach peak abundance, check your local mycological society.

Frost Mornings Give Way to Crisp Clear Days (Late Oct.)

Late October will present the best morning walking conditions as a hard frost (peaking on October 25 around 6:48 a.m. EDT) leaves the landscape — and the occasional neighborhood pumpkin — sparkling with ice crystals. For those with hand lenses, this is also a great opportunity to view some of the smaller frost flowers and intricate ice formations that are otherwise melted away by midday.

While I'd ordinarily recommend a scenic overlook to visit at this point, I have a different challenge for you this month. Flocks of migrating geese, of which there are roughly 2,300 passing through as of September 2022, are routinely confused for distant aircraft as they move in a V-formation across the autumn sky in numbers of 46 or more. The site FindMigration allows you to punch in your location and receive tips on when you can spot these "feathered trains" from your own backyard. Give it a shot this month under late October's crisp skies!