With the cooler nights and crisp (sometimes "crunchy") mornings upon us, let us take a moment to enjoy a few fun, random facts about the second most naturally colorful time of year in the Piedmont. As November approaches, the leaves will continue to show their most impressive autumn hues. Have you ever wondered why leaves turn colors? As the days become shorter, the trees begin to produce less chlorophyll, which is the variable that is essential for photosynthesis. As chlorophyll decreases, the leaves are left to display their "skeletal" hues. Lucky for us.

Since we are talking about our flora, let us talk about grass for a moment. Although many of us look forward to winterizing our lawnmowers and weed eaters (the mechanical type) around this time of year, why does our grass seem to shoot up, despite the colder temperatures? The answer is simple. Many of our local grasses are considered "cool-season," meaning that they grow in the lower temperatures of spring and fall. Most of these grasses will become dormant by the end of next month.

Wrapping up our glance at the vegetation around us, I would be remiss to ignore one of our most common and frustrating invasive species: the Autumn Olive. Despite being annoyingly challenging to eradicate and all too eager to sprout back, there is a silver lining to these plants, although the lining may be a bit tarnished. The fruit is delicious and very nutritionally valuable. Recipes abound for making jams, fruit "leather," teas, and other delectable from this persistent fruit.

Because we live in horse country, we cannot ignore the emergence of those fuzzy winter coats. For those of us that keep our horses in work through the winter, either for sport or pleasure, our evenings may be spent body clipping our fuzzy equine friends. Have you ever wondered what causes our horses to channel their inner yak? Here is a hint; I mentioned it earlier in this piece. Many people are surprised to learn that increased coat growth has nothing to do with temperature and everything to do with decreased sunlight. The shorter days signal an increase in melatonin production, which causes the animals to grow a thicker coat. While on the subject of winter coats, I would be remiss if I failed, mentioning how amazing a horse's winter coat is. So amazing, in fact, that they do not need to be blanketed under normal circumstances. Of course, there are varying circumstances, such as if the horse is clipped, has no access to shelter or forage, or has a physiological disadvantage. With that said, unclipped horses are excellent at staying warm. Being hindgut fermenters, they are literally "hay-burners," meaning that their warmth radiates from within. The small muscles at the base of each hair in their coat (erector pili muscles) cause the hair to stand on end, thus trapping the warm air generated by their bodies. A shivering horse is not a cause for alarm. They are just working to keep warm. I often hear people express concern when horses have frost or snow on their backs. Not to worry. They are SO well insulated that the frozen liquid is being maintained by the ambient temperature, not being melted by the animal's body heat—pretty cool stuff.

Whether you are a fan of the great outdoors, have horses, like to forage for fun things to eat, or prefer to enjoy the beauty of the coming seasons from behind the steam of a hot beverage as you wrap up on the couch, take a rest in knowing that Mother Nature always has a plan, and it is often beautiful to experience. Thank you for reading. I will see you in the field.