Cooler weather is in the forecast this weekend, with a chance of frost in low-lying areas. While the long-term outlook has a few chances for light rain, overall it looks like our abnormally dry fall will continue.
The changing look in the woodlands isn’t lost on Dr. Stan Temple, Professor Emeritus in Conservation in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at UW-Madison and a Senior Fellow and Science Advisor for the Aldo Leopold Foundation. An award-winning conservationist, Temple does public outreach for the foundation, promoting Leopold’s land ethic and conservation ideas.
Dr. Temple has authored hundreds of publications on conservation and ecology, and though he’s closing in on 80 years old is still actively promoting all things nature to a world that needs it more than ever.
Like Leopold, Temple has kept a keen eye on the changing seasons for decades. He records nature happenings throughout the year, otherwise known as phenology. The first robin of spring or the first acorns dropping in fall are just two of dozens of seasonal examples.
Temple writes and updates the Aldo Leopold Foundation’s annual Phenology Calendar, and says shortening days and falling temperatures are the most important drivers of phenological events taking place each autumn. He’s also known to be a stickler on facts.
This time of year, orange and black wooly bear caterpillars may be seen looking for winter hideouts. But the rich folklore around them is not true.
“The story goes that if you see a wooly bear heading south, it’s going to be a hard winter,” Temple writes. “But they are just looking for shelter in whatever direction they can find it. Another tale is that the severity of the winter can be predicted by the width of their stripes, but that width is determined by how many of their successive molts they have been through. So stripe width indicates how old they are, and not future weather severity.”
Hunters are well aware of what the sight of increased rubs on trees and shrubs and the first scrapes on the forest floor mean: the annual whitetail breeding season is getting closer, typically peaking in early to mid-November.
Want to learn more about phenology? The foundation’s calendar is a great tool.
The 2026 version focuses on Aldo’s daughter Nina’s phenological legacy, honoring the 50th anniversary of her return to the Shack landscape, the impact her data and research has had, and the ways the Leopold family bonded through nature observation.
You can order your copy while supplies last. Learn more at https://www.aldoleopold.org/blogs/2026-phenology-calendar-celebrates-family-legacy.
Whitetail Watch is an anti-poaching initiative created by Whitetails Unlimited Inc. of Sturgeon Bay to improve hunter/landowner relations and reduce the crime of poaching.
In an effort to increase awareness of this illegal activity, participating landowners post the signs on their property. These serve as visible reminders to poachers that citizens are watching and suspicious activity will be reported to wildlife law enforcement.
Whitetail Watch property signs measure 11.25 inches on a side, and are white with red and black printing. Decals matching the sign, measuring 3.5 inches on a side, are also available. WTU recommends at least one sign every 100 yards of road frontage, or four signs per 40 acres.
To order complimentary signs or decals, call (920) 743-6777, or send an email to nh@whitetailsunlimited.com.
Fox, bobcat (with permit) and raccoon hunting (residents) all open Saturday. That’s also the date of the open water duck and pheasant season openers, as well as Zone B ruffed grouse and southern zone cottontail rabbit.
Coyote hunting is allowed year-round. Additionally, nuisance species can be shot year-round, including starling, English (house sparrow), opossum, skunk, woodchuck and porcupine. Landowners and family members can also hunt or trap their own property year-round for rabbit, squirrel, fox, raccoon, woodchuck, beaver and coyote.
Wisconsin’s Wolf Advisory Committee is holding its second meeting to discuss topics relevant to wolf management in Rothschild this week.
Members were expected to review goals and timeline, hear public comments (in-person and written) and review committee agreements before discussing hopes, concerns, the dialogue process and an overview of the Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan, as well as current wolf legal status and administrative rule update. Harvest and synthesis is also on the agenda.
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