It starts stealthily, at first barely discernible to the casual glance. Then within days the evidence becomes unmistakable: The transition is coming. Color is the clue — a tinge of copper on grasses and a few leaves; a certain shift in the shades of green; the sudden flare of yellow in the goldenrod, which then rusts with the formation of its seeds; a flash of red on vines; a suspicious browning here and there hastened by the recent dry spell. In the space of a week, the clues accumulate to the level of certainty. Change is upon us.

Fall is also a time of migration, and we are the poorer for the loss of songbirds and others that are only part-time residents here. We will miss certain song notes, find ourselves wishing for a sighting of the jeweled hummingbirds or subtly colored warblers. Astonishingly, many of these feathered beings, some so tiny they weigh no more than a penny, travel hundreds and even thousands of miles annually.

Whales can migrate between 1,500 and 5,000 miles to their breeding grounds over winter, returning for during spring through fall. Atlantic salmon can travel up to 6,000 miles for their reproductive success. How all these creatures find their way under trying conditions annually remains both amazing and inspiring. Like most migrating humans, these travelers are seeking safety, prosperity and a home base for survival of their species. We humans should be so adept at navigation of difficult journeys.

For those of us staying put in one place for the year, the hectic pace of harvest is now compounded with the need to prepare for winter, such as it may be. It is time to think about putting away, digging up, storing and cleaning for next year. It helps a little to realize that all the preparations for winter are also, in fact, preparing for the next spring.

We need to remember this for our national fall, too. Now is the time we get ready to invest in one of the most hopeful actions of our civic lives: voting.

This fall we have the chance to vote not only for leadership at the highest level — who will lead the most powerful nation on earth with all its resources and flaws — but also those in related roles: who will manage our country’s finances through the House of Representatives; who will shape our courts and legal system for decades to come through the Senate?

Who will guide our choices between war and peace? Who will run our town governments; who will set school policies, goals and practices? These roles are no less important than the top spot and, in fact, at this point it is a package deal to overcome the obstruction and dysfunction of the MAGA-disabled House and courts.

The most local levels can have a major impact on voting rights, school and educational policies, and local justice enforcement. If local legislatures allow gerrymandering, it matters. If local courts support outlandish legal theories and challenges to established law, it matters.

Our choices up and down the ballot will make a vast difference in the coming decades. During that time we face vast challenges, including global warming and multiple international threats. If we choose to ignore these fearsome challenges, and revert to times when more than half our population — women as well as people of color — are discounted and denied their most basic rights, we will also be choosing to give up our ability to select a government at all.

This type of erosion is like a cliff-edge during fierce climate-exacerbated storms. Once undermined, the whole structure can break free.

This might seem like the time for fall cleaning. So true. It is also the time for shoring up and preparing for the chill of winter while strengthening our prospects for the next spring.

Fall is always the time of preparation and resolution. It allows for winter to be our time of rest, respite and renewal. But for this moment, it is time for action. Only then will we be able to rest undisturbed by regrets.

Vote. Vote early. Get friends, family, reluctant voters, newly minted voters, and neighbors to the polls. Remind people that the stakes are tremendous and range from highest to lowest offices. Change is coming no matter what. Natures handles the transition seemingly seamlessly. For the rest, it is on us. Ready, set, go!

Judy Wagner lives in Northfield.