Look beyond the leaves: another way to appreciate fall

There’s nothing particularly subtle about the way most of us notice the arrival (and eventual departure) of Fall. But this year, consider getting beyond the familiar patterns of changing leaves. Seasons reveal themselves through dozens of subtle signals to those attentive enough to notice them. Engaging with those changes can be a source of satisfaction and enjoyment for anyone from the experienced home gardener to the casual observer who just wants to getter better appreciating the natural world.

You can jumpstart what I’m calling the Beyond Leaves Challenge by beginning a notebook tracking signs of the season as it comes and goes — with one rule: You can’t mention leaf colors. Whether you’re new to journaling (or nature-tracking) or a seasoned expert on, um, seasons, try to make at least one entry a day. An easy way into the habit is identifying firsts and lasts. In spring, you might note the first time you leave a window open all day— and how good it feels to let the outside in. In fall, you might note the last tomato in your garden and pause to appreciate how it and its predecessors have both literally and spiritually nourished you.

Don’t just look for signs of Fall, listen and smell for them, too. Note the rise and fall of seasonal sounds, obvious and otherwise: the cicadas quite down, the birdsong changes with migration patterns, acorns thunking to the ground. Tune in to what’s unique to your region — and not just apex leaf-peeping in New England. Maybe this means noticing a gradual tapering off of backyard barbecue smells; where I live, the feel of lowering humidity is a key marker. Depending on the region, maybe you’ll see more monarch butterflies, maybe dragonflies swarming. Be creative and expansive about what you notice that connects not just to the changing season, but to the way nature is part of your everyday life, whether in your backyard or a farther-away forest.

On a regular schedule, or just when the mood strikes, check your shadow from the same spot on a walk or in your garden or on your patio. Notice how, little by little, the light is changing, shadows stretching farther, the sun no longer clearing a particular building, Tune in to the slow rhythms of nature and change.

Like nature itself, seasonal change isn’t something separate and waiting off to the side to be observed at a distance and in passing. It’s everywhere, and it’s lived; we’re connected to the seasons whether we notice or not. Challenge yourself to be mindful of how those changes play out.  Note the changing produce selection in roadside stands and even supermarkets. Observe what people are wearing and talking about, and how it relates to the coming and going of Fall. Notice when you no longer hear the ice cream truck’s theme drifting through the neighborhood. Be mindful of how your own routines shift with the weather, the light, the nature you encounter, or tend.

Have you noticed some fresh aspects of Fall in your yard or in your town? Share them with us on Instagram and tag us @scottssmiraclegro.