Each fall, the precession of the earth causes its North American face to turn away from the more direct rays of the sun. With this reduction of day length and warmth, a great number of natural events are placed into action to deal with the cold frigid air that will come later.
Trees turn gold and crimson after shut down their photosynthetic machinery for the season.
Ducks, geese and hundreds of other species of migratory birds begin to move out of the north into areas of more abundant food. Most insects cannot fly the long distances that migratory birds fly. Many have evolved an ability to tolerate the cold, timing their development so that when the cold comes they are in life stages, such as eggs or larvae, that are compatible with winter's temperatures. They may also dehydrate themselves, thus getting rid of the potentially lethal freezable water from their bodies. One insect is especially different from nearly all others.