Nicole Chinnici, the laboratory director at the Tick Research Lab of Pennsylvania, was reported as saying there was an increase in ticks sent in for testing this season.

Chinnici told the Associated Press that this year has been "tickier" than usual, with more of these bloodsuckers being tested, according to the post. 

In the article Chinnici said that the most common species is the blacklegged (deer) tick, which is associated with the majority of tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease … She added that there has been an increase in American dog ticks as well as Asian longhorned and lone star ticks. 
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In the post claimed that the increase that Chinnici and her team are seeing at their lab is not an anomaly. “Warmer weather is helping ticks and other disease-spreading vectors to survive for longer periods through the year, giving them more time to breed. Higher temperatures are also helping ticks spread north and west to new parts of the U.S. and Canada,” the article stated. 

Day in and day out, the Applegate fur kids faced the creepy crawlies. Vaccinations helped but weren't always the cure all. Clem had some phantom hip pains, and it turned out he had Lymes disease even though he was vaccinated against it. Recently, a blood test revealed that Gus had Lymes disease despite having the vaccination. The moral of this story was that a blood panel may be the answer to mysterious ailments. The test cost under $90 at a local veterinarian clinic. 
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Pet owners can try everything, but there still may be dangers hiding in small packages. That's just the nature of things 'round here.

The district manager in Cornplanter State Forest serving northwestern Pennsylvania said that parts of Erie County lagged a little behind … “Most of the other district counties, including Crawford, Venango, Warren, and Forest are declining.” 
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However, it was reported that forestry staff in Clear Creek State Forest (serving Beaver, Butler, Armstrong, Mercer, Clarion, Jefferson, and Venango counties) were looking forward to another colorful week in the woods! Peak fall color will last one more week in much of west-central PA as oak trees continue to turn gold, rusty brown, and dark red. 

​The district manager in Cornplanter State Forest serving northwestern Pennsylvania said that parts of Erie County lagged a little behind … “Most of the other district counties, including Crawford, Venango, Warren, and Forest are declining.” 
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However, it was reported that forestry staff in Clear Creek State Forest (serving Beaver, Butler, Armstrong, Mercer, Clarion, Jefferson, and Venango counties) were looking forward to another colorful week in the woods! Peak fall color will last one more week in much of west-central PA as oak trees continue to turn gold, rusty brown, and dark red. 

​In the previous week’s (Oct. 16 to 22) overview the DCNR reported that some chilly nights last week helped more colors develop throughout Pennsylvania forests. With morning lows for the next few days expected to be consistently in the 30s and 40s, that trend should accelerate.

​For much of the Commonwealth, recent rain has also helped keep some leaves on trees while helping them to shed some brown, increasing the quality of colors.

On Oct. 17, 2024, Oil Creek at Rouseville was at 2.27 feet compared to 1.77 feet this year.
The Allegheny River at Franklin was at 3.95 feet last year and only 3.28 feet this year.
Total rain accumulation for the month of September was 2.66 inches, which again, was below the normal of 3.94 inches, according to the National Weather Service.  ​

​Nonetheless, while Franklin saw above average temperatures for most of September, there were some dips. However, October brought the possibility of frost.
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While the temperature reached 82 degrees on Oct. 8, a low of 33 degrees was reported on Oct. 17.
On Sunday, the National Weather Service Office in Pittsburgh posted on its Facebook about stopping freeze and frost warnings with the end of the growing season.

​“After experiencing multiple frost/freezes across the area in recent days, and in collaboration with neighboring NWS offices, we have ended the growing season for our area of responsibility. Frost/freeze products will resume in Spring 2026,” the post said.

Yourerie.com posted a freeze warning effective Sunday night into Monday morning.

“Crawford and Southern Erie Counties are affected, including the cities of Warren, Jefferson, Meadville, Edinboro, Union City, and Titusville.  Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 22 expected, the post said.  
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Online the Old Farmer’s Almanac reported that the median date of Franklin’s first fall frost was Oct. 17.
However as of Oct. 26, I still had a few roses and dahlias blooming. But I did suspect that the area had experienced some patchy frost days earlier. 

Seasonal signs?
Other indications of fall came in late August.

Some of their movements of lack of, may have to do with where the food is. 

​This year, like last year, there was no shortage of acorns. In contrast, in my immediate area, there was a drought of apples.

While my peach tree fared well, my apple tree was barren. However, the deer were OK with enjoying some peaches instead of apples.

​I surmised that a later frost may have been to blame for the lack of apples. A review of weather stats revealed that Franklin saw a low temperature of 34 on May 10.

​Temperatures would quickly rebound to the mid-70s and low 80s within the next few days. I surmised that the peach tree, which blooms earlier, had set its buds before the frost. The apple tree blooms must have succumbed to the lower temps and failed to produce fruit. 

To the skies
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Other signs of the seasonal change included the arrival and departure of several winged friends.
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In early September the hummingbird feeder was still buzzing with three or four visitors. Then within a week the number dropped to one and then none. My last hummingbird visitor was seen feeding on some Mexican sunflowers on Sept. 26. 

Also leaving the hummingbird feeders were the yellow jackets and hornets that swarmed about.

I soon discovered that once some of the smaller wild asters bloomed that the bees flocked to their blossoms.


Weeks after the hummingbirds left, I observed and uptick in tufted titmouse visitors to the bird feeders.

While they are year-round residents, there seem to be more in the winter.

Later in the month, reports on Facebook birding pages reported the return of dark-eyed juncos.
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I sometimes can get photos from the fall visits from flocks of cedar waxwings that feed on the fruits of the gum trees growing near the neighbor’s pond. Robins on the move also stopped to feed. I also saw several warblers but didn’t get a chance to see them long enough to photograph or identify them.​

Meanwhile, back home, the very next day I was able to capture two more photos of monarchs. One was feeding on wild asters and then the next day one visited the Mexican sunflowers in my garden. My last sighting this year for a monarch was Oct. 3.

A quick search of the internet found that most monarchs leave Pennsylvania in mid to late September, according to a post on Bird Watching HQ. 
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“From there, it takes many weeks for them to reach their final Mexican destination. Most individuals arrive in early November,” the post continued. 

Another post on the subject at blog.entomologist.net provided a nice overview of monarchs in the state.

“In Pennsylvania, monarchs generally reach the state by May, where they lay eggs to produce successive generations. …. September is a significant month for monarchs in western Pennsylvania as they prepare for their migration to Mexico.

​The cyclical pattern of migration, mating, and breeding emphasizes the adaptability and ecological importance of the monarch butterfly population,” the post said.
“Monarchs born after August 15th in Pennsylvania do not reproduce but migrate south to return the following spring, it added. 

Fungus

The hot dry weather during the summer made those seasonal mushrooms hard to find.
Oyster mushrooms were plentiful in the early part of the summer still using the moisture in some dead wood. However, by late summer, any fungus that emerged one day, dried up the next. That was the case with the bioluminescent Jack-O-Lanterns. Some of them didn’t even make it to maturity before being desiccated in the dry heat.

Last year, I saw many, many patches of the orange mushrooms.
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This year seemed to be the year for birch polypores. They appeared to thrive. I noticed several trees that were coated with the umbrella-shaped fungus.

Fall rains helped some fly agaric mushrooms arrive on schedule. 

​The mushrooms are common under pine trees in late fall in the east. They are not edible.  Still fighting with mushroom identification. I couldn’t decide if I was the yellow orange fly agaric, Amanita muscaria var. Formosa or Amanita muscaria var. guessowii, which is known as the American yellow agaric.
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Meanwhile, recent rains have helped other late fall mushrooms emerge. I still don’t know what most of them were. 

Little rain fell. Temperatures were warm and cold. Autumn displays and other fall signs were affected. However, I did find some color here and there. The dryness may have dulled some displays, but it didn’t stop them.

That’s just the nature of things ‘round here.