One of the greatest pleasures of autumn is the opportunity to slow down and truly experience the life within your garden. As the temperatures cool and nature transitions, it’s the perfect time to sit quietly and observe the small creatures that call your outdoor space home.
From my spot beneath the canopy of a maple tree, I can watch as birds dart from one flower to the next, picking at seeds or perching momentarily before flying off. This time of year, it's mostly juncos, nuthatches, and finches that remain, while the hummingbirds and robins have already made their migration south for the winter. In the late afternoon, as dusk approaches, the birds gather in the trees, creating a soft symphony of chirps and flutters as they settle down for the night.
Beyond the birds, the squirrels are a constant source of amusement. They chatter among themselves, scrambling up tree trunks and darting across the lawn. Earlier in the year, a few of them vanished—likely prey to a hawk or owl searching for food to feed their young in the spring. My daughter, who lives nearby, had several owls visiting her yard around the same time, so I suspect they were responsible. While it's sad to lose these furry garden companions, nature has a way of balancing things. In no time, new squirrels arrived to fill the void.
The new arrivals quickly set to work, gathering pine cones, stripping them down to nubbins, and burying their treasures all over the yard. Squirrels, it turns out, aren’t the best at remembering where they’ve stashed their food—research suggests they only recover a small fraction of what they bury. This explains the occasional surprise of a young pine or maple tree sprouting up far from the nearest parent tree. In past seasons, when the pine cones were particularly abundant, I often found little piles of cone bracts, known as “middens,” scattered around the yard—a sure sign of squirrel activity.
As the sun sets and the garden quiets, a new chorus emerges: the crickets and tree frogs. Their evening songs are one of the best parts of fall nights. While we often lump all chirping insects into the "cricket" category, Eastern Washington is home to a variety of species, including crickets, katydids, and grasshoppers. Each produces sound in its own unique way—crickets rub parts of their wings together, grasshoppers use their legs to generate noise, and katydids produce sound by rubbing their forewings. The frequency of their calls is influenced by the temperature, with faster chirps in warmer weather and slower, more drawn-out calls as the nights grow cooler. At this time of year, with evening temperatures dipping into the 50s, their calls are a slow, steady reminder that the garden is winding down for the season.
For such small creatures, tree frogs pack an impressive punch when it comes to sound. The Pacific treefrog, common throughout the Northwest, may only be about 2 inches long, but its croak can carry for quite a distance. With its smooth, green or brownish skin and tiny toe pads that allow it to climb smooth surfaces, this little frog thrives in moist areas, both in natural habitats and urban gardens. As autumn deepens, the males’ distinctive “crek-ek” call fills the evening air, a subtle reminder that even as the garden quiets down, there’s still plenty of life to observe.
This year, I’ve had the pleasure of sharing my garden with one particular tree frog who has taken up residence right under my window. It calls regularly in the evenings, and I find its presence oddly comforting. My only concern is that it might have hitched a ride indoors last weekend when I moved my houseplants inside for the winter!
Taking the time to simply sit and observe the creatures around you can be one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening. It's easy to get caught up in the tasks of planting, pruning, and harvesting, but pausing to appreciate the wildlife—however small—reminds us of the intricate and delicate ecosystem we cultivate every day. As the garden shifts into its quieter, slower phase, there's no better time to enjoy these moments of stillness and connection with nature.
