"Every part of nature teaches that the passing away of one life is the making room for another. The oak dies down to the ground, leaving within its rind a rich virgin mold, which will impart a vigorous life to an infant forest."
— Henry David Thoreau
— Henry David Thoreau
Devil's Lake State Park felt like the perfect spot to cap off October. While fall color maps show our part of Wisconsin is at peak or already fading, it was still a great outing. I've definitely seen Devil's Lake put on more stunning fall displays in past years, but this one certainly didn't disappoint.
Well, what's this adorable little critter?
It's an American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), though I've always favored the name Pine Squirrel. Older folksy nicknames like "boomer" or "chickaree" fit them well—both inspired by their loud, machine-gun chatter. While ubiquitous throughout the timber and bluffs of Devil's Lake, these small arboreal rodents are far more often heard than seen by passing visitors.
"Relax, pal ... I'm not going to steal your food."
Finally ...
The squirrel made repeated sorties to the leaf litter, snatching up meals before darting back to the relative safety of the lower tree limbs.
Why not make a stop at the Sauk Canoe Launch on such a beautiful afternoon?
A few Swamp Sparrows were present in habitat along the shoreline, first heard and then seen. Several Ring-billed Gulls stood poised for flight on a sandbar. From across the river came the familiar rattling call of a Belted Kingfisher. A few Eastern Bluebirds passed overhead, heading south. Not a single Yellow-rumped Warbler was found. I do cherish my hearing. It's still my most valuable bird-detection tool, and I'm grateful I didn't destroy it with all that loud music in my younger days.
Surprise! There were at least three Bronzed Tiger Beetles.
I wanted to photograph their elytra to compare against the individual I documented here a few weeks back, but every beetle I found was a different one. Given temperatures pushing into the 70s, it wasn't much of a surprise to find active tiger beetles still out and about along the shoreline. There are enough subtle differences in maculations that it's pretty easy to tell them apart in close-up photos.
You can see that this individual's front maculation is less curved on the rear tip, and it's middle maculation is more flattened compared with the one found two weeks ago. You can see other differences if you look closely. In any case, I have encountered the same individual a week apart, which I've observed with Ghost Tiger Beetles at Sauk Rec. Naturally, when the habitat is crawling with them, it's much harder to repeat, which is the case with Hairy-necked at Arena.
So, my prediction was wrong. Looking at the 10-day forecast for November, there might still be a chance to find them next week. If I do, it will be only the third time I've documented tiger beetles past October.
This time, there were some remarkably large Shoreline Wolf Spiders! They weren't quite as massive as the palm-sized ones I've encountered in the past, but they were still impressively formidable.
Now you see it ... now you don't ...
Lighting is everything with these super-camouflaged critters.
And so that's it for October. The changing seasons bring different subjects, different challenges, and sometimes a different kind of reward. Before long, the tiger beetles will be gone, the leaves fallen, and most migratory birds will have moved on. But there's no shortage of reasons to get outside. Winter has its own natural history, after all, and I'm not one to spend it looking out the window.
All images © 2026 Mike McDowell