I once stopped to help a man whose car had flipped over and off the road. The car was smoking like it might explode. We moved a distance away. I asked him what happened, and he explained that he had lost control of the car when he tried to dodge a rabbit that had hopped onto the road.

Fall is a dangerous time for animals and motorists. As agricultural fields are harvested, there is less cover in the fields for animals, so they move closer to roads. There is always some spillage of crops during harvest, and sometimes the grain is spilled right on the shoulder of the road.

As sunrise and sunset begin to coincide more with rush hour traffic, there is more danger. But these are also the peak movement times for many animals. High animal activity level continues for several hours after sunset.

Some mammals, especially deer, mate in fall and early winter so the babies are born in spring. Their mating hormones cause some deer to throw caution to the wind and cross the road without looking both ways. If there is one animal crossing the road, there are probably several more. If you see one, slow down. Many people hit animals because they are simply going too fast to stop in time.

Do not assume that animals will move out of the way. And do not litter food items, for they attract opossums, raccoons and other animals to the roadside.

Late summer and fall are when mammals begin looking for shelter for winter. Check out any noises you hear in attics, walls, chimneys, sheds or garages. Do not leave dog or cat food outdoors. And you might have to hang bird feeders in locations that are harder for four-legged creatures to reach.

Q: My waterlilies have aphids on them, and I want to bring them into a greenhouse for winter, but do not want to bring the aphids in with them. How can I safely get rid of them without harming my fish?

A: The easiest way would be to cut off all the leaves and flowers before you bring them inside. That may sound strange, but plant leaves grow to the specific conditions of sunlight, humidity and temperature that exist when they are expanding. Moving the plants indoors will give the leaves new conditions that they may not be able to tolerate. They will drop off the plant as new leaves grow, so why not take them all off all at once?

This is the time of year when most people should bring houseplants inside. The temperature and humidity conditions are similar outside and inside, so the plants will not have too big of an environmental change. Do not wait until the plants are already being exposed to frost, because by then the leaves will see too big of a change when they come indoors.

Check them all for aphids, spider mites, scale insects and any other bad bugs that would be able to infest the rest of your plants. There will be fewer predators indoors, and no rain and wind to keep the pest insect population under control. You should gently remove small plants from their pots to check for insects hiding in the bottom.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview.com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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