Outdoor Visits  by Edith M. Patch

Fall Picnics

The bees were ready for winter. They saved good honey to eat.

The birds were ready for winter. Many kinds of birds went South. Some kinds of birds stayed near Don's home, but they could live in cold places in winter.

The trees and bushes were ready for winter. Most kinds of broad leaves were on the ground. Small brown leaf buds were on the branches. Green leaves would grow in spring.

Don thought about bees and birds and trees. Then he went to find his Uncle Tom.

"Uncle Tom," said Don, "what do animals with fur do? How do they get ready for winter?"

"Some of them have fall picnics," said his uncle.

"When I go to a picnic," said Don, "I have a pleasant time outdoors. And I have good things to eat."

"That is what the woodchucks do," said Uncle Tom. "But they grow very fat and go to sleep. They sleep in their holes in winter."

"Nan and I like woodchucks," said Don. "May we go to their picnic?"

"There are some woodchucks at the farm," said Uncle Tom. "We will go to visit them on Saturday."

Uncle Tom took Don and Nan to the farm and they found the woodchucks.

The woodchucks were lying on a stone wall. Their fur was gray and brown. The stones were gray and brown, too. It was hard to see the woodchucks.

Uncle Tom sat near the wall. Don and Nan sat there, too. They were all quiet.

After a long while the woodchucks came down from the wall. They ate some clover heads. There were seeds in the clover heads.

The woodchucks had a pleasant time eating their picnic dinner. The seeds were good food for them.

Nan and Don talked about fall picnics while they were going home from the farm.

"Uncle Tom, do other animals have picnics and grow fat?" asked Nan.

"Some other animals grow fat in the fall and sleep while the winter is cold," said Uncle Tom.

"Squirrels have picnics," said Don. "They eat many nuts in the fall. But they do not sleep all winter. They hide some nuts to eat when they are hungry."

"I shall go to a squirrel picnic in the park," said Nan.

"We can visit some of the tame gray squirrels there," said Don.