INTRODUCTION- :

A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight. Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution. In temperate and Polar Regions, the seasons are marked by changes in the intensity of sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface, variations of which may cause animals to go into hibernation or to migrate, and plants to be dormant.

TYPES OF SEASON-:
Spring-:
1. As the ice leaves the surface of ponds and the days become warmer amphibians leave their winter homes under logs or in the soil and migrate to pools where they will mate and lay eggs. One of the first to emerge is the spring peeper, whose high pitched call is designed to attract females from a distance. Their eggs can be found in pools as early as mid-march. If the weather is warm the tadpoles can develop into miniature frogs very quickly. A bit later the eggs of spotted salamanders may be found in jelly masses attached to the undersides of leaves or floating free. In late march or early April American toads begin moving toward the ponds and the low trill of the male's call can be heard. Strings of toad eggs can be found on the surface of ponds in mid-April. Try to locate males by following their call (this is not easy). Observe quietly and you may be able to see the toads mate and begin to lay eggs. DO NOT DISTURB mating animals. 2. The first signs of spring begin with the emergence of skunk cabbage in February or March along the banks of Wolf Run. The inconspicuous flowers appear before the leaves and are covered by a green and red mottled sheath, that appears to arise directly from the ground. The large leaves of this plant arise later and are what give it it's name. When crushed they emit a rank odor. You should also watch for the red and green capsules that form above moss plants. These capsules make spores (seed like structures) that are released when the top of the capsule pops open. Examine the mosses covering the rocks and logs on the forest floor. Are all mosses the same? Take a magnifying glass and see how many different types of moss you can find. 3. Many of the trees begin to flower in late April and by mid-May the leaves begin to open. Corresponding with the opening of the leaves is the emergence of many insects. These provide food for the many species of birds that migrate through the preserve in route to northern breeding grounds. The most spectacular of these are the warblers. They are small insect eating birds with lovely songs. Over 25 species of warblers migrate through the preserve. The first two weeks of May are probably the best times to see these birds. You will see them flitting about at all levels of the canopy as they search

for insects to eat. Which birds are found in tree tops and which ones are more common in the understory? 4. At the same time you are watching the birds you may also find yourself distracted by the chipmunks that have become active on the forest floor. What is the primary activity of the chipmunks? 5. The fish in the stream begin breeding. Males of many species will become brightly colored to attract females. Sit quietly above a riffle or pool and watch the behavior of the fish. 6. A variety of spring wildflowers emerge from mid-march through may. One of the more showy spring flowers is bloodroot. It has a white flower with 10-12 petals. If you damage the leaf it "bleeds" an orange-red sap. Its root also contains this sap and that is how it got its name. Bloodroot like many spring flowers provides food for ants. The seeds of this plant contain special fat bodies that attract ants. The ants collect the seeds and carry them back to their nests. They remove the fat bodies to feed to their larvae and discard the seeds near the nest. In this way the ants help the plant by dispersing and planting its seeds. Look for the pods of bloodroot late in May. They will be ripe the first or second week in June.

Summer-:
1. The toad that were laid in April have developed into tadpoles. By early June these tadpoles are beginning to develop legs and change into small toads. Look for tadpoles with their legs in various stages. By July these tadpoles will have turned into small toads that you may find sitting on the lily pads in the pool. 2. A variety of plants will begin blooming in the field. As the summer progresses you will note that there is a gradual change in the types of plants that are blooming. How do the flowers of the various types of plants differ. Differences in flowers are often used to help classify plants. Use a field guide and try to identify the various plants. 3. Try ant tracking - place the crumbs of a chocolate chip cookie on the forest floor and wait for ants to come. See how long before the ant returns with helpers. Try to follow the ants back to their nest. Where is it? In the ground, in a log? Ants lay chemical trails that help them find their way back to the nest. What happens if you move an ant off the trail? 4. Many plants depend on insects for pollination. Try sitting near a plant and watch to see what types of animals come to it. How many insects are at the flower at one time? Where does a bee go when it leaves your flower? Where does the bee carry the pollen? How long does an insect remain at a flower? 5. Look for signs of insect damage on the leaves of plants. Can you find the insect responsible for the damage? 6. How do plants invade new areas? Some plants spread by sending out underground roots that develop into new stems. Typically plants that spread in this way grow in

clumps. Look for clumps as you explore the pasture. Other plants invade new areas by having their seeds dispersed by the wind, animals, or erupting (jewel weed). Look for the white downy parachutes of the Canada thistle. This type of seed is designed to be carried to new sites on the wind. In the fall you can look for a variety of plants that have sticky seeds that will attach to animal coats. Burdock is a good example. This plant has seed pods with Velcro like spines (In fact the idea for Velcro came from the seed pods of this plant). The seeds of jewel weed are dispersed ballistically. If you touch a ripe pod it will explode, sending the seeds in all directions. Fall1. As the nights become cooler the chlorophyll that gives leaves their green color begins to break down and the red and yellow pigments in the leaves become visible. If the nights are cool and the days are sunny the maples will produce brilliant red leaves. 2. Birds will start gathering into flocks. Flocks of blackbirds will migrate south for the winter but flocks of birds such as goldfinches, nuthatches or chickadees will remain all winter. What might the advantages of flocking be? How many birds are in a flock? Note how the shapes of the flocks change as the birds pass overhead. 3. Acorns will mature and drop. Watch for squirrels collecting these for winter. You might also want to examine the seed under an oak tree. You may notice that some of these have small holes. These are exit holes of beetles. Collect 20 seeds. How many have holes? How many are normal. Why does the tree make so many seeds? 4. Pennsylvania flower beetles can be seen mating on wingstem and goldenrod. You might spend some time watching them and see if you can determine how they select a mate. 5. Look for goldenrod with swollen stems. What caused this? With a knife carefully cut the swollen stem in half----What did you find? How many of the stems in a cluster have swollen stems?

Nikit

Winter-:
1. This is a good time to learn trees by their bark characteristics; beech, sycamore, white ash and black cherry are especially distinctive. Take the self-guided walking tour. Pamphlets are available at the visitor center. With a little practice and a keen eye you will soon start to see some differences.

2. If there is snow on the ground you can explore the tracks left by the many mammals still active. Tracks of rabbits, deer, and dogs are large and easy to find. Those of mice are small and easily filled in by blowing snow. Follow the tracks and you may learn something about the behavior of the animal. 3. The dried seed pods of burdock, goldenrod, milkweed, curly dock, beggars ticks, velvet leaf etc. can be observed in fields and along road edges. How many different types of seeds can you find? How are these seeds specialized for dispersal? What are their characteristics? Are any birds visiting the seed pods? 4. On a cold day you can sit and watch as birds come to the feeders. Chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals, goldfinches, and house finches are fairly common. At the garden we have feeders set at different heights and they are supplied with a variety of foods such as black sunflower seeds, corn, millet and thistle. By watching where the different types of birds feed you can learn a lot about their feeding behavior. Which birds are ground feeders? Do some birds prefer sunflower seeds and others thistle? Do some species behave in an aggressive manner and chase other species away from the feeder. Do the birds arrive individually or as flocks? Are large or small birds more apt to flock? What is the advantage to flocking? 5. Although most insects are not active in winter you can look for signs of their past activity. A variety of moths, wasps, and flies lay their eggs inside the stems of goldenrods or oaks. The plant responds by producing thick walled areas or galls that wall the insect off from the rest of the plant. These galls can be oval, round, or look like a bunch of leaves crowded at the tip of the stem. See if you can find insect galls on trees and dried stems. If you find a gall examine it to see if there is an exit hole. Cut the gall open to see what is inside. If there isn't a hole, you have found the insect responsible for stimulating the plant to make the gall. If there is a hole and you find an insect, it probably ate or parasitized the original inhabitant. Look for other signs of insects. Wasp nests are common under the eaves of houses. If you look at the undersides of an old log, you might find the tunnels of carpenter ants. Look for barkless trees with starlike tunnels on their surface. These are caused by bark beetles. 6. Not all plants lose their leaves in winter. Evergreen trees such as pine and spruce keep many of their needles through the entire winter and herbs such as hepatica and garlic mustard do not die back to the ground but remain green. As you walk through the forest look for green plants on the forest floor and try to identify them. These plants are some of the first to become active in the spring.

SEASON OF INDIA
According to traditional Indian culture the Indian subcontinent undergoes six seasons, with the approximate duration of each being two months. These are as follows: spring, summer, monsoons, early autumn, late autumn & winter. But according to the modern

climatic studies India has only three predominant seasons they are summer season, rainy season and winter season. The summer months lasts from about March to June, the rainy season stretches form June to October and the winter season remains in India from November to March. Various climatic factors are responsible for the seasonal changes in India. The monsoon season is pretty fervent in India with heavy clouds drenching most parts of India. The summer season is pretty hectic too with India being a tropical country most parts of India are scorched with sweltering heat. The Indian winter is usually mild and enjoyable in comparison to the other temperate countries of the world. Changes are the law of nature. So changes are must for human being, without changes nothing possible. There are different types of season they are given belowRainy Season-: Introduction: In India there are six seasons and the rainy season is one of the one season which the school going children likes most. It begins in July and ends in October. Causes: In the summer season the Indian Ocean goes up as vapors and the vapors make the clouds and in the monsoon there clouds falls as rain and rain season is start. Advantages: The Rainy Season has so many good things and advantages in our life. It removes the heat of summer. Rain provides us water to us and animals also. In the Rainy Season, flood comes in rivers, earth become cool and happy. The waterways are full to the brim. It helps the corps and vegetables to grow. Grass grows in plenty. Hence cows get a lot of grass and people get a lot of milk from their cows. Disadvantages: During the Rainy Season, people face a lot of difficulties. Paths become dirty and slippery. During the heavy rain communication are cut off. People cannot go to work. Students cannot go to school. Children suffer from cough and cold. Stomach problem are very common in this season. Rain bring flood in rivers. A lot of men and cattle are died. Natural Scenery: In the Rainy Season, the earth wears green color. Trees are filled with new leaves. Flowers appear on them. The beautiful rainbow falls in the sky. The sun shines through them and the gray clouds get multicolored. Peacocks dance in the woodland. The nature becomes a good scenery and green cover. Fairs and Festivals: Some Hindu Festivals such as Diwali, Durga Puja fall in this season. Conclusion: The Rainy Season is the season of corps and vegetables. It is the friend of farmers, trees

and animals. It is the food maker and water creator. Hence we all people have to welcome this season with full joy.

Summer Season in India

Going from March to June, the summer season is the hottest time in most of the parts of India. The most hectic season of this tropical country, summer scorches almost all the parts of India with sweltering heat. Hot winds and scorching sun are the two most inseparable constituents of Indian summer. Light cotton clothes remain the order of the day to protect yourself of the prickly heat of Indian summer. In some of the hilly and desert areas, water too becomes a scarcity during summer. The month of June is the hottest month of the year in India when temperature crosses even 45 degrees. It is not advisable to the tourists to visit the country during summer for the fear of various infections and ailments like Cholera and diarrhea. But, if it is unavoidable, do remember to eat light and stay light during summer in India. It is suggested not to eat out at the local eateries for the fear of infections. It is suggested to carry lemonades with you all the times. A sunscreen lotion is a must irrespective of the time you are going out for. Avoid going out in the sun if possible for you can get severe sunburns.

Winter Season in India

Based upon the extreme changes in weather, India observes three major seasons namely winter, summer and the monsoon. Starting from November lasting till March, the winter days in India are bright and pleasant. The hilly regions of northern India observe some snowfall also in the months of January. The soft sun of the winters in India appears to be singing soothing lullabies which may make you fall asleep as soon as you sit under sun. But the fun of sun is interrupted too at times by the winter rains and severe cold waves from west to east passing through the northern part of the country, mainly during November to April. January is generally the coldest month of the year wherein the temperature drops down to less than 15 degrees even. In some of the hilly areas, the temperature even goes below zero degrees. But this otherwise pleasant season of the year not only attracts the maximum of tourist traffic to India but also invites an innumerable bird species to its pleasant surroundings. The bird sanctuaries in India are flocked by a multitude of migratory birds in winters that live in a harmonious conjunction with the resident birds here and uphold a unique example of mutual bonding.

Importance & Impact

This season has always been the most important season for the Indian sub-continent owing to the fact that almost 70% of the Indian population is dependent on the agrarian economy for a livelihood in some way or the other way, the fortunes of which in turn are decided by the monsoons in a particular year. Apart from being a source of livelihood, agriculture is also an important source of raw material for many industries. Considering the weight of agriculture in the Indian economy in the 1990s, a slowdown in the segment had a telling impact (2-3%) on India's GDP. Further, monsoons do impact the short-term spending pattern of rural consumers, which is important for corporate India, especially for sectors like Automobiles, FMCG and Cement. Thus, if we consider the monsoon pattern and its impact over the last decade (a period which reflects the current times more aptly than the 1990s or 1980s when not only was the Indian economy structurally different but the factors affecting it and the Indian consumer demand was also different from today), some conclusions can be distinctly arrived at. And the crux of this is the fact that while the monsoons do alter the spending pattern of consumers temporarily, the impact is reflected largely in the form of a slowdown in volume sales for these sectors rather than de-growth across some or all sub-categories of products within these sectors. Impact on Auto Industry-: Thus, in the case of the Auto sector, data indicates that the behavior of auto sales is not consistent with the monsoon pattern on all occasions over the past decade, which suggests that there are other factors at play that influence the decision making of consumers at a particular time. Impact on FMCG Industry-: Similarly in the case of FMCG, the trends were quite clear (though contradicting) in FY2001 and FY2003. Those companies which enjoyed strong volume growth witnessed pricing pressures and vice-versa. Nonetheless, the impact of weak monsoons was the most prominent on FMCG companies relative to other sectors. Impact on Cement Industry-: Cement, however, on the other hand, displays a much weaker co-relation with the success/failure of monsoons in a particular year. In fact, even during the lean monsoon period of FY2001-03 and assuming that there would be some lag effect on demand in FY2002 and in FY2004, cement consumption grew at a CAGR of 7.4% during FY2000-04. The Mitigating Factors 1) Lower dependence on Agriculture-: Over the years, the dependence of the Indian economy on agriculture, and consequently the monsoons, has been on the decline. Notably, agriculture had a share of over 29% in FY1991 in Indian GDP, which has come down to 17.2% in 4QFY2009.Thus, in the current scenario, a poor agriculture season would affect the Indian GDP by 1-1.5%. This cushioned impact could also be attributed to some other factors. 2) Lower seasonal dependence & higher Irrigation-: Firstly, India's dependence on monsoons for food grains has been relatively reducing. Notably, the contribution of the Kharif crop (Monsoon Crop) has steadily declined from

60% of India's food grains production in FY1990 to the current ~50%, while that of the Rabi Crop (Winter Crop) has gone up in proportion. Secondly, the area under irrigation has also increased over the years, thus effectively reducing the dependence on monsoons for a good crop. Conclusion-: Considering all of the above, we believe that while the impact of a high monsoon deficiency will be felt largely across rural India, we expect the impact on consumption trends not to be severe and short-term in nature. Undoubtedly agricultural GDP will be hurt; however, we expect the recovery in manufacturing and services segments in 2HFY2010 to mitigate these pressures. Nonetheless, it is possible that in the near-term, the Indian stock markets would not be able to escape the negative sentimental impact that arises from the likely repercussions that a highly deficient monsoon may have on Indias GDP (which we concur) and India Inc.s profitability (which we do not concur with in totality). Thus, we would advise investors to take advantage of any correction that may come by to Accumulate/Buy stocks on the decline, as these would provide a good entry point for investors looking to invest with a 12-18 month horizon. The biggest risk to our investment calls would arise if the monsoon deficiency worsens significantly from here on, which could have a much larger impact on consumption trends than what we are anticipating.