September and October signal the end of warm weather and the threat of frost. The growing season ends, and water and food supplies dwindle. Fall brings less daylight and cooler temperatures, resulting in fewer food sources, both on land and in the water. Subsequently, some creatures migrate to different locales during the season.

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Spotted Salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, nose to the ground, searches for soft soil to dig deep down for winter den.

First, let’s understand the basic purpose of migration. Migration means to move in order to find suitable habitat to survive seasonal challenges. For fall, this includes finding food and/or evading exposure to winter conditions. This migration may be hundreds of miles or just a short distance to find suitable conditions. Let’s take a closer look at three migratory animals that you can find in your county parks during autumn walks: the Teal cousins, majestic Monarchs and spotted Salamanders.

Naturally, many birds migrate through our park woodlands and fields, but the waterfowl at Chamber’s Lake are quite the sight. This seasonal highlight begins with the Blue-winged teal, Anas discors, one of the first waterfowl species to migrate in late summer and early fall. The Green-winged teal, Anas crecca, also in the dabbler/puddle duck family, uses Chamber’s Lake on their migration route as well. Both teals prefer to feed on the surface, or close to it, by feeding upended with their tails in the air. The teals display colorful speculums (wing patches) and, wow, can they fly fast! Try to keep them in your binoculars!

In general, October is peak waterfowl migration. To discover more about the Teal cousins’ natural history and identify other waterfowl on the move, join us at Waterfowl Wonders on October 4.

This second migratory critter may take you by surprise. And how they migrate is truly amazing— it’s the one-of- a kind monarch! The monarch is an insect who, among our featured creatures, usually travels the greatest distance. The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, migrates thousands of miles from Canada and the United States to take cover in the mountain peaks of Mexico.

One of the monarch’s great natural abilities is creating a unique generation that can migrate

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Monarch, Danaus plexippus, rest stop. Like us, monarchs require breaks during their long distance travel. Resting areas exposed to the morning sunlight are preferred to warm up bodies and dry off wings.

over a 1,000 miles - a feat without parallel. As autumn approaches, a very special generation is born. Unlike their parents and four generations of grandparents, all of whom had brief adult lives, these migratory butterflies survive seven or eight months. In human terms, given our average life span of 75 years, this would be like having children who lived to be 525 years old!

For our local monarchs, this generation performs the incredible feat of flying from Chester County to the center of Mexico, and then begins the northward journey again. Once they return to the United States, a relay race begins. These short-lived generations of offspring, each with about four to five weeks to live, continue the trek northward back to our county.