As the leaves turn red and the temperature drops, the inhabitants of Harvard University prepare for the onset of winter. But before this bustling ecosystem can hunker down for a cold, unforgiving New England winter, some species are still making their final preparations. The Great Migration of Freshman Families is just beginning. Colloquially known as “Parents Weekend,” it is a time of year when countless families flock to Harvard Yard, many making treacherous journeys across land and sea.

 

Most remarkably, however, Parents Weekend is one of the few times of year we are blessed with rare a sighting of that magnificently illusive creature, N. Gregory Mankiw.

 

The Mankiw (Ursa Mankiwus) awoke from his autumnal hibernation just in time for Parents Weekend—but it is with dire purpose. This upcoming Friday is one of his last chances to convince Freshmen Families of his relevance, and he will therefore put on his best show of courtship. In the harsh realities of nature, survival is never certain, but the Mankiw will do everything within his power to ensure the preservation of his legacy for future generations.

 

On Saturday, the Mankiw will likely use beautiful, color-coded graphs to awe spectators. Naturalists around the world are still struggling to decode the meaning of the graphs’ colorful arcs and dotted lines, but a millennia of natural selection has proven their effectiveness in this primitive game of courtship.

 

Mother Nature is, however, a fickle creature, and there is no guarantee that the Mankiw will even appear for his scheduled performance. Seeing such a majestic beast is indeed a rare occurrence in the Animal Kingdom. But if he decides to show, we’ll be ready. Our team here at the BBC has been tracking the Mankiw for days, and we’re equipped with the latest in film technology, ready to capture this magical moment.

 

Unfortunately, most other people will only glimpse the Mankiw's re-emergence at 1.5x speed on Canvas before that wonderous ritual, the Ec10 final.