TOP LEFT: Often the first hint
of the approach of fall, sumac
glows red at Branched Oak
Lake SRA/WMA near Malcolm.
BELOW LEFT: Raptors such
as the red-tailed hawk seek
rodents and other small
prey, building reserves
for upcoming journeys
southward.
RIGHT: The spiraled hair-
like achenes of mountain
mahogany at Wildcat Hills
State Recreation Area near
Gering are among the visual
wonders that greet the eye
this time of year.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 • NEBRASKAland 51
J
ackets are now needed for early morning
walks to see still-blooming asters,
sunflowers, and sumac that has started
to turn red. Soon, frost will arrive, first in
the northwestern corner of the state, and in
some years in the east by September's end.
Autumn, and the cascade of color that it
brings, has begun.
■
PHOTO
BY
JUSTIN
HAAG
PHOTO
BY
ERIC
FOWLER
