THE ENCHANTED NATURE NEWSLETTER
Issue 33
October 2023
Greetings Enchanted Nature Community
Please enjoy our latest issue of The Enchanted Nature Newsletter
Happy Halloween to all of our young and young at heart readers.
The Arrival of Autumn
"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."
- Stanley Horowitz
October has been a very busy month with speaking engagements, a mushroom class, and nature tours with wonderful people enjoying the colorful foliage. Despite the busy schedule, we have been enjoying one of the most colorful autumns ever. A drive to town, walks in the woods, and even working in the yard have all been enchanting opportunities to commune with nature.
We would love to see photos of autumn in your region. Please send them to adventures@enchantednaturetours.com
If you're craving some nature or know somebody that is, come and be enchanted by nature with us:
From Our Readers
Thank you for your photographic contributions to The Enchanted Nature Newsletter.
If you see anything of interest in nature, take a picture and please send it along.
Elene Paul shared this dramatic photograph of a colorful Allegheny sunset.
Wow! Thank you Elene.
Eileen Feim shared the above picture of Stick Bugs, also known as Walking Sticks,
that appear to be in love. Great pic Eileen.
Below is what we believe to be a Meripilus giganteus cluster of mushrooms
shared by Chris Collins.
Nice find Chris! Thank you for sharing with the community.
Thank you for sharing your photos with the community.
Please send us your pics and queries:
adventures@enchantednaturetours.com
You can also text your pics & questions to (540) 324-8778.
From The Writers
The autumn foliage is particularly colorful this year.
Chelle and Mark from Mosely, VA enjoyed an Enchanted Nature Tour.
Thanks for a great day! We thoroughly enjoyed you both and the good luck
that you brought. Glad the rain held off until the end of the day.
This lovely and lively group of ladies from various areas around and in Richmond, VA joined us for an Enchanted Nature Tour as well. We had a wonderful day with all of you!
Thank you Calandria, Sandra, Sherri, and Penny
Nature's Rest and Regeneration
By: Christopher Vacher
Autumn is a mesmerizing season marked by a pallet of vibrant colors and the arrival of cooler, crisper air. As the days shorten and temperatures drop, deciduous trees and forests undergo a striking and beautiful transformation. The science behind the spectacular foliage colors lies in the processes that take place within the trees.
During spring and summer, chlorophyll, the pigment responsible for photosynthesis, dominates and gives leaves their green hue. As daylight hours decrease and temperatures cool in autumn, trees receive signals to prepare for winter. As a result, chlorophyll production slows down and eventually ceases. With the green pigment fading away, other pigments present in the leaves, such as carotenoids (yellow and orange) and anthocyanins (red and purple), become more visible, creating the vibrant tapestry of autumn foliage.
The underlying science of foliage colors involves the biochemical reactions occurring within the leaves. Carotenoids, which help in photosynthesis and are always present in leaves, produce yellow and orange hues. Anthocyanins, on the other hand, are not always present in leaves and are produced in response to certain environmental cues, including sunlight and cool temperatures. These pigments can create shades of red, purple, or even blue. The exact combination and concentration of these pigments, influenced by genetics and environmental factors, determine the specific colors displayed by different tree species during the fall season.
The captivating display of colors not only adds beauty to the natural landscape but also serves ecological purposes. The vibrant hues play a role in protecting trees from sunlight and regulating their water balance. Additionally, fallen leaves create organic matter which enriches the soil and supports diverse ecosystems. Autumn, with its stunning foliage colors, stands as a testament to the intricate and awe-inspiring processes of nature, captivating observers and reminding us that nature can regenerate itself.
Enchanted Nature News
We are making updates to our website.
Our home page design has been updated to reflect some of
our other services and products. We also have another URL that will lead visitors to our site. You can reach us www.EnchantedNature.org
Enchanted Nature is updating and constructing our store.
Soon, we will be offering medicinal mushroom extracts.
We are in the last phases of regulatory compliance
with state and federal agencies and hope to have our products
available before Christmas. While no products are currently available,
feel free to take a peak around our new store (The Trading Post).
Enchanted Nature Tours is being seen around the world. Virginia Tourism worked with an international marketing firm to create a series of videos that will be shown in airports. The company reached out to us for an interview. Keep in mind that were no scripts, no rehearsals and we had no editorial input on the piece. We met in the forest, answered a few questions and they cobbled together the video.
If you have any nature, gardening, or horticultural questions or comments, feel free to send them to adventures@enchantednaturetours.com
If you're interested in Mushrooms, check out the weekly posting at: https://friendsoffungus.com/the-fungus-among-us.html
Autumn Beauty
This month's theme is "autumn beauty". We are embedding a video from one of our favorite youtube channels. It's 3 hours of relaxing music and autumn scenes.
Enjoy...
Findings reported in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, suggest that keeping a few snapshots of greenery around yourself might be beneficial. When participants viewed the natural images in the experiment, their stress levels lowered, thanks to the activation of their parasympathetic nervous system – which controls certain rest functions. "Viewing green scenes may thus be particularly effective in supporting relaxation and recovery after experiencing a stressful period and thereby could serve as an opportunity for micro-restorative experiences and a promising tool in preventing chronic stress and stress-related diseases." Take a deep breath, hold it, and let it out slowly as you relax.
If you're ready to explore the forest,
come out for an adventure with us
NATURE IS CALLING, WILL YOU ANSWER
There are many proven health benefits to spending time in nature. It has also been proven that just looking at images of nature can provide multiple health benefits including: reducing depression, speeding healing, improving your immune system, preventing dementia, improving your mood, and increasing happiness. We plan on ending each newsletter with a short video of a natural scene. Hopefully the videos will provide you with some of the benefits listed above.
Stay safe and enjoy nature
If you haven't taken the time to explore our website, please do.
There are a lot of free educational resources to enjoy
If you wish to unsubscribe, simply drop us an email at Adventures@EnchantedNatureTours.com
with the word, "unsubscribe"
