Fall Foraging

Barley, a dog, snuffles around in accumulated dead leaves.

With the unambiguous arrival of fall and the onset of Spooky Season, Barley’s odor landscape is utterly transformed and familiar paths become newly interesting. This is driven by two forces. On the one hand, regular rainfall helps to mobilize odorants in what I imagine is a brightening of the odor landscape, an enhancing of its vividness. On the other hand, as leaves begin to fall and inevitably accumulate (whether naturally or at speed due to grounds crews wielding leaf blowers), a whole new collection of Snack Opportunities present themselves. I don’t doubt that Barley has uncovered many a tasty morsel concealed from view amidst the leaf litter, and I need to be extra vigilant on walks so I can notice when she gets a little too interested in any given pile.