Activity within my square meter plot definitely slowed down during October, but I still managed to find lots of photographic opportunities. I added a few more species to my list (110 now!), but the theme of the month was much more about change than discovery. Plants I’d become intimately familiar with during the season were steadily changing colors and dropping leaves and seeds. As a result, the overall density of the vegetation within the plot dropped dramatically, leaving behind a lot of sunflower stems decorated only by a few withered, dangling leaves. Tall summer grasses are still there, but some have been broken off part-way up, and others look pretty fragile. On the other hand, there is a new layer of green growth closer to the ground, consisting mostly of Kentucky bluegrass and a few sedges.
Instead of buzzing with activity, the plot was a lot quieter in October. During the late summer, there was no shortage of insects, and the challenge was to find species I hadn’t yet photographed this year. In October, the challenge was to find anything moving at all, other than leaves or seeds dropping or drifting through the air. I sat quietly, trying to watch the entire plot closely, waiting for something to move, since movement was about the only way to detect most of the well-camouflaged critters I found. The stink bug below is a great example of that – an insect I saw only when it fluttered from one stem to another and started crawling upward. Several times, I looked down at my camera and then had to search for it again, even though I knew it was within a few square inches.
I was excited to see the first snow of the year in mid-October, and the forecast predicted sunny skies and calm winds for the next day. However, the snow ended around noon, and by an hour later, it was clear that most of the snow was going to melt that afternoon. So, even though the sky was still pretty dark and cloudy, I went out to capture what I could of the snow before it all disappeared.
I’m planning to keep visiting my square meter plot through the end of January and complete a full year cycle. I’ll probably go less often in the coming months, mostly waiting for frost or snow to create new photographic opportunities. Apart from that, I don’t anticipate much change in the appearance of the plot or the species within it.
However, I still feel drawn to visit now and then, especially when the light conditions are nice. You never know – maybe I can catch a bird stopping by to feed on the last of the sunflower seeds, or maybe a milkweed seed will get caught within the plot as it drifts past. What if I’m not there and I miss it?!