25/03/2024
POV of fall foliage and blue skies
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Fall may mark the end of lazy afternoons at the beach and summer Fridays, but it also brings stunning scenery, cozy sweaters, outdoor adventures, and the start of the holiday season. But if you need even more reasons to get excited about all things autumn, check out these fascinating fall facts.
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55 Fun Facts About Autumn
There are tons of awesome facts about fall. Be sure to read all the way to the end to learn everything there is to know about the season preceding that dreaded winter solstice.
1. Catching a falling leaf can bring you good luck.
Boy outdoors, catching a falling leaf in the forest
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Those falling autumn leaves don't just look beautiful, they may also bring you good luck. That is, if you're a superstitious person. According to The Encyclopedia of Superstitions, there's a popular belief that "as many falling leaves as can be caught in the hand in autumn, so many happy months will follow." Children's author Alison Uttley writes in her memoir A Year in the Country, "We try to catch a dancing leaf, for every leaf caught is a 'happy day.'" Whatever the actual timeline, we could all use a little bit more luck.
2. Way more reasons to write "congrats" on your friends' Facebook walls.
person commenting on a friend's Facebook wall
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The most common birthdays occur during fall, so you can expect to see an increase in newborn baby pics filling your feed. Unsurprisingly, the season also kicks off the most popular stretch of the year to get engaged.
3. You can catch birds on their migrations south.
Birds flying at sunset
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The fall is when many bird species make their way to the warmer climes south in preparation for the chilly winter months. While each species follows its own particular path, there are a few popular "flyways" where bird watchers are likely to catch a few flocks on their annual trip. Audubon editor Kenn Kaufman offers seven such hot spots for birds escaping the cold, including Great Salt Lake, Utah (where half a million Wilson's phalaropes and 1.5 million eared grebes stop to snack on brine shrimp before moving on) or Cape May, New Jersey (where "warblers and other warm-weather songbirds peak in September").
4. The "contrast effect" makes women even more attractive in the autumn.
Close up on hands choosing from rack of sweaters
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In a study published in the 2008 issue of Perception, researchers discovered that men found women more attractive during cooler months than warmer ones, likely due to the "contrast effect." This theory holds that since men see more of women's bodies during the warmer months of the year, it takes less stimuli to catch their attention once the cold weather causes them to start layering up.
5. You can spot a harvest moon.
Harvest moon
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The full moon that occurs during the autumn equinox, when the Earth's equator most closely lines up with the sun's center, is noticeably brighter and rises earlier than a typical full moon. Appearing sometime in September or October, this harvest moon can appear almost orange (usually when it's closest to the horizon), a bit like a giant pumpkin in the sky—very seasonally appropriate! This bright, early moonlight has long been helpful to farmers as they harvest summer crops, hence the name.
6. Chickadees get smarter.
Chickadee on branch
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The fall has some odd effects on animals. For the adorably tiny black-capped chickadee, the autumn season causes its hippocampus—the part of the brain that handles spatial organization and memory—to swell about 30 percent. According to Colin Saldanha, assistant professor of biological sciences at Lehigh University, all these new nerve cells help it to collect and hide massive amounts of seeds that it will rely on during the barren winter months. "Our hypothesis is that this exaggerated growth occurs when the birds need it the most," he told Science Daily at the time his findings were announced.
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7. The Greeks gave autumn a great origin story.
Parthenon at sunset
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While scientists tell us that fall occurs when the Earth tilts away from the sun, the ancient Greeks had a much cooler explanation. According to Greek legend, the season is caused by Persephone's return to the underworld, where she rules as Hades' queen. Her mother, Demeter, the goddess of fertility and harvest, is so upset that she allows the planet's crops to wither—until Persephone's return in the spring.
8. Babies born during the fall are the most active.
young child playing with blocks while her father looks on in background
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Drawing on a massive study from Bristol University on the health development of more than 14,000 children born during the '90s, researchers reported in the British Medical Journal that children delivered in the autumn and winter months were nine percent more active than the average. The study's lead author suggested to The Guardian that the timing may relate to when autumn-born children begin school: "If you're born later in the school year, you're likely to be smaller than your peers and that could disadvantage you in sports, and other activities, such as playing," Calum Mattocks said.
9. It's a great time for rom-coms.
Couple sitting on couch watching movie
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According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, both men and women are more interested in watching romantic movies during the fall than at any other time of the year. The researchers chalk it up to the fact "that physical coldness activates a need for psychological warmth, which in turn leads to an increased liking for romance movies."
10. Those Halloween frights can be good for your heart.
Scared man watching a horror movie and jumping with popcorn flying allover
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While you might say that a scare "almost gave me a heart attack," the opposite may be true. Some medical professionals believe that an innocent scare now and then (say while visiting a haunted house or watching a scary movie) can, in fact, promote heart health. Michael Castine, cardiologist at Ochsner Medical Center, explained in a blog post that when scared, a person's adrenaline triggers the blood vessels to contract and re-direct blood toward the heart and lungs, in a "flight or fight" response. The result? "This can train your heart to pump more blood with every stroke—increasing your cardiac output up to eight times its resting capacity," Castine explained.
11. It's cobbler season.
Apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream
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Pumpkin pie or apple pie may be the first autumn-appropriate desserts that come to mind when planning how to cap off a meal. But fall is also the ideal time to whip up some cobbler. Cobbler, made by putting a sweet fruit filling of apple, apricot, or another fall fruit into a baking dish, topping with delicious batter, and baking to crisp perfection (then topping with a scoop of ice cream, of course) is one of the best ways to warm up in the fall.
