Author: Lisa Mungovan

It’s a beautiful sight, to see leaves turn red, orange, and yellow in the autumn. There’s a handy map for leaf peepers, to track when the colors are at their peak. SmokyMountains.com gathers data to update the Fall Foliage Prediction Map, so you can plan a trip to the forest, to collect leaf bouquets.

The largest organism in the world, isn’t a whale, or a redwood tree. It’s a 106-acre stand, of quaking aspen trees. The group of trees is called Pando, and they all grow from the same root system. The forest is made of 47,000 genetically identical stems. It’s been producing new sprouts, for 14,000 years!

It’s Coffee Day! Even if they don’t like the taste of it, most people love the smell of fresh coffee. To celebrate Mocha Day instead, mix coffee with hot chocolate. Enjoy it with a sweet, double-baked biscuit, as it’s also Biscotti Day. The long shape makes it the perfect cookie, to dunk in coffee.

Have you voted yet, in Alaska’s “fattest bear” competition? You can vote for your favorite chunkers at explore.org/fat-bear-week. The semi-finals pit Grazer against 856, and 602 against Chunk. After you vote, watch all the bears catch salmon, on explore.org’s Brooks Falls bearcam. They’re fattening up for winter, before they go into hibernation.

Today is World Rivers Day. The longest river in the world is the Nile, at 4160 miles long, although some scientists say the Amazon is even longer, depending on how you measure it. What’s the name of the river closest to your home? Where does it begin and end? Go visit it today!

Do you have pet fish? You probably enjoy watching them swim around in their fish tank. Tonight, let your fish watch you instead, because it’s Fish Tank Floorshow Night. Perform a song and dance for your aquarium audience. Maybe they’d like to hear songs, from The Little Mermaid. Just don’t expect any applause.

Today is World Rabies Day. Louis Pasteur, who you can thank for pasteurized milk, also invented the rabies vaccine. It’s important to get your dogs and cats vaccinated, to protect them from animals that carry the deadly disease, like bats. Vaccinated animals also protect humans, in case their pet ever bites someone!

Do you ever ask people to read your favorite book to you? Switch things up today, and let someone else pick the book, for Read A Child A Book You Like Day. Whether it’s an old story your grandparents loved, or something from another country that you’d never heard of, new stories are entertaining.

Today is International Rabbit Day. The world’s biggest rabbit, Darius, is over 4 feet long! Do you have any photos of bunnies? Make a rabbit scrapbook. If they’re digital photos, make sure you’ve backed them up somewhere, since it’s also Save Your Photos Day. Don’t lose your pictures when you lose your phone.

Today is International Astronomy Day. It’s always held around the quarter-moon, so the skies are darker. Plan an evening of stargazing, by looking up some constellations to search for tonight. Use binoculars or a telescope for a closer look. Free phone apps, like Sky View, Lite, can help you identify stars and planets.