Did you know...that autumn begins three times a year?

From a meteorological point of view, autumn begins on September 1. Meteorologists have agreed to divide the year into four exact three-month blocks: March to May is considered spring, June to August is summer, September to November is fall, and December to February is winter. This fixed division has nothing to do with the sun or nature, but rather with statistics. This makes it much easier to compare and evaluate temperature values, rainfall amounts, and climate changes.

The situation is quite different when it comes to the calendar or astronomical beginning of autumn. This is based on the position of the Earth relative to the Sun and falls on the equinox on September 22 or 23. On this special day, day and night are almost exactly the same length because the Sun is directly above the equator. For many people, this moment marks the “actual” change of seasons because it is based on a clear astronomical event.

Finally, there is the phenological beginning of autumn, which is not based on dates or the position of the sun, but directly on nature. It begins when certain plant and animal species show their typical signs of autumn. These include the ripening of apples, pears, and chestnuts, the changing colors of the leaves, and the departure of many migratory birds to the south. Phenological autumn is further divided into three sections: early autumn, mid-autumn, and late autumn, each of which is characterized by different natural phenomena.

Whether phenological, astronomical, or meteorological, every year it is fascinating to observe the spectacle of nature!