Autumn – Canada’s Most Beautiful Season

Autumn arrived on the west coast of Canada this year at precisely 11:50 p.m. on September 22nd. I slept right through it, and for good reason. Seasons change gradually in countries that actually have four distinct seasons. The next morning, I woke up, and nothing seemed any different than the day before. What’s up with this specific time? Let’s take a look.

Autumn and Those Other Seasons

First of all, what’s the difference between “autumn” and “fall”. The only difference is who uses which word. British English uses the word autumn; fall is more common in North American English. Even though I live in North America, autumn is a much more colourful and expressive word, so that’s what I’m using here. Oddly enough, autumn is the only one of the four seasons with two names.

Autumn begins with the autumnal equinox. It occurs in September in the Northern Hemisphere and in March in the Southern Hemisphere. The spring equinox occurs in March in the Northern Hemisphere and September in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s true! The seasons are different on opposite sides of the equator. However, again, the change is gradual. The equinox is supposed to represent when both day and night are close to 12 hours each.

The summer solstice occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun’s path is the farthest north of the equator and is the longest day of the year. The winter solstice in December is the shortest day of the year when the sun’s path is the farthest south of the equator and is the beginning of winter. Of course, as with the equinoxes, the solstices are opposite in the Southern Hemisphere. With all of this scientific, technical stuff out of the way, let’s look at the beauty of autumn.

The End of Summer

Many Canadians are relieved that summer is finally over. It has been a long, hot, dry summer with many record-high temperatures set across much of Canada.

For those who don’t believe climate change is a thing, we witnessed it here for most of the summer. We had the worst forest fire season in Canada’s history, especially here in British Columbia. The lack of any significant rain for weeks and the extreme heat made the forests tinder dry, which contributed to the spreading of massive forest fires in the province’s interior. Many people lost their homes and all their worldly possessions.

The fire season is not quite over yet. The coming of autumn, with its often heavy rainfall, will help alleviate the spread and subsequent damage caused by the fires. Hopefully, next year’s fire season won’t be as disastrous.

The Trees are Alive with Colour

There are two main types of trees in Canada. Most evergreen trees have green leaves, which are more like green needles on a stem. These needles remain on the tree all year round. Most people will recognize this type of tree as a Christmas tree. Deciduous trees have leaves that change colour, die and fall from the tree each autumn. The tree’s life cycle begins again in the spring with the sprouting of new green leaves. Perhaps the most well-known deciduous tree is the maple tree, whose unmistakable leaf is on the Canadian flag.

The most apparent sign that autumn is upon us is the natural beauty of the leaves on the deciduous trees, turning from green to gold to orange to red and even purple on some species. The forests become a virtual rainbow of colours as the leaves on the different species of trees and individual trees themselves change colours at different rates. It’s a wonder to behold.

Then, when all the leaves have fallen, the tree branches become skeletal shadows against the bright autumn sky.

The Autumn Sky

In Autumn in Canada, the evening and night skies also come alive with colour. On the west coast of Canada, there are many clouds and rain at this time of year. The sunsets are breathtaking, with the sun’s rays peeping through the clouds with shades of yellow, orange, and red. And when it’s raining, distorted rays glisten off of and through the raindrops, creating a fantasy of colour.

The Northern Lights

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, seen in the Northern Hemisphere are a dancing display of billions of colourful flashes of light caused by charged particles reacting with gases in the earth’s atmosphere. This activity happens near the magnetic North Pole. The counterpart to the northern lights is the southern lights, or aurora australis, seen in the Southern Hemisphere and occurring near the magnetic South Pole.

The northern lights are more visible farther north than where I live. However, we do occasionally get a glimpse of them in the autumn or winter months. They are visible only on a clear night and are much brighter in remote areas without the city’s light pollution.

The Harvest Moon

The harvest moon officially arrived in Canada on September 29th this year. Damn, I slept through that event too. Or it was too cloudy to see it; I don’t remember. Anyway, it was there for a few nights.

So, what is the harvest moon? It is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.It has traditionally been called the harvest moon because it rises close to sunset for a few nights, allowing for more time for farmers to see and bring in their crops.

The Wildlife Becomes Restless When Autumn Arrives

Although the weather is relatively mild on the west coast of Canada, even through the winter, most of Canada is very cold in the winter. It is much too harsh for many species of birds. Their natural instinct tells them it’s time to fly south to a warmer climate. They know exactly where they are going and how to get there. Their inborn compass will guide them as it has other years before, and they will return when the weather becomes warm again in the spring.

Now, because it’s so mild in this part of the country, the crows don’t leave. They can withstand our winters, so they’re not going anywhere. To read more about these scavengers and their habits, click here.

The squirrels also begin preparing for winter hibernation when autumn arrives. You can see them scurrying around all day, gathering their winter provisions and fattening themselves up. They gather nuts, acorns, seeds, and some fruits and vegetables. They won’t have time for this when winter comes because they will be sleeping most of the time. They may come out to play and chase each other around on warmer days, but mostly, they just sleep.

I hear the bears are doing the same thing, but I don’t live in bear country, so I haven’t witnessed it. They also bulk up for the winter months as they hibernate right through the winter.

Human Reaction to Autumn

Visually, autumn is a beautiful time of year. However, humans’ lives also change pretty dramatically when autumn arrives. Vacation time is over for most. It’s time to settle into the work or school routine again. It’s back to getting up to an alarm clock and the same schedule every day, with only the weekends to look forward to.

The weather is becoming cooler. It’s time to bring out a jacket and warm clothes. Short-sleeved shirts to go outside are no longer warm enough.

Now, it’s dark when we wake up and dark when we go to bed. We don’t get enough natural light. This lack of sunshine affects some people more than others. Some become a little depressed and even grumpy. Perhaps some vitamin supplements are in order, especially vitamin D. But we’ll get through it. After all, spring is just around the corner. Oh, but wait. Winter comes first.

Anyway, we do like autumn, so let’s enjoy it while it’s here.

And Now For Your Listening and Viewing Enjoyment

Here is Canada’s own Neil Young performing his 1992 hit Harvest Moon.

The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.

Vocabulary

• equinox – noun; either of the two occasions in the year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and day and night are of equal length throughout the world; the beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn
• solstice – noun; either of the two times in the year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon, marked by the longest and shortest days; the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter
• significant – adjective; of great importance or consequence; very important
• tinder dry – adjective; a dry substance that readily catches fire; very dry
• alleviate – transitive verb; lessen or make less severe (pain, suffering, a problem, etc.); make the problem less
• subsequent – adjective; following a specified event, etc. in time, esp. as a consequence; coming after
• disastrous – adjective; a complete failure; extremely bad situation
• evergreen – adjective; (of a plant) retaining green leaves or needles throughout the year; trees whose leaves or needles don’t die and fall off in the autumn
• deciduous – adjective; (of a tree) shedding its leaves annually; trees whose leaves do die and fall off in the autumn
• virtual – adjective; optics designating the apparent focus or image resulting from the effect of reflection or refraction upon rays of light; appears like but is not real
• breathtaking – adjective; astounding; awe-inspiring; so beautiful that it takes your breath away
• peeping through – intransitive verb; look quickly and secretly, esp. through a small opening; appearing
• glisten off of – intransitive verb; shine, esp. like a wet object, snow, etc.; shine or sparkle
• counterpart – noun; a person or thing forming a natural complement or equivalent to another; the same but opposite (in this context)
• glimpse – noun; a momentary or partial view; not a full view
• squirrel – noun; any of a various slender agile arboreal rodents having a long bushy tail and noted for hoarding nuts for food in winter; it’s a squirrel (look it up)
• hibernate – intransitive verb; (of some animals) spend the winter in a dormant state; sleep all winter (such as bears)
• grumpy – adjective; morosely irritable; surly; in a bad mood; miserable to be around

Resources

• time and date – When Is the First Day of Fall
• Government of Canada – What are the northern lights?
• LiveScience – How to see the Harvest Moon