Seasonal changes in sunlight happen because the Earth's axis of daily rotation is fixed in space and remains tilted at 23.5 degrees as the Earth circles the Sun annually. The summer and winter solstices get all the publicity, but this is a special time of year, too. It is a time of great change and provides great challenges for the survival of the plants, animals, and human inhabitants of the Earth. Locally, we barely notice it as we go about our busy lives.
Summer is over and school schedules affect the lives of students and parents alike.
Yet, the coastal weather is often the best of the year, as it is warm, dry and sunny and inland temperatures are mild. Many animals migrate in the fall or winter. The Monarch butterfly is here from October to February. Many birds leave the northern latitudes for our mild winters. Marine mammals like the elephant seal and the humpback whale migrate for feeding and breeding purposes.