December 15, 2011 —
After the Halloween snow that coated the roads and trees, it seemed that winter was trying to get a foothold in time for November. November, however, was not ready for winter. The Halloween snow soon melted, and by the end of the month, the weather was very mild. During the weekend after Thanksgiving, temperatures were approaching 60 degrees.
When warm weather hits during late fall, some out of season events can occur. Some sightings of critters such as salamanders or other amphibians can occur, and I had a friend comment that her bulbs were sprouting in her garden during the first week of December. One of the more common things seen during a warm spell, though, is insects.
During the afternoon of November 25, I took a walk through a meadow in Glen Spey, NY and tried to spot as many different insect species as possible in an hour. The bug tally was three different small (gnat-sized) flying insects, two different fly species, one spider and one grasshopper. Some of these insects were interesting in their appearance, and others were noteworthy because they were still around this late in the year.