Garden and Green

Britain In Autumn Gold

15th October, 2008

A golden shimmer to a terrible summer
 
Early autumn sunshine makes for an interesting autumn
 
It has been a dreadful summer but things might be looking up in the coming weeks. As trees start to autumn tint with temperatures remaining high and plenty of soil moisture, we should be treated to amazing golden autumn colours, making for excellent ‘leaf peeping’ says the Woodland Trust.

Even though it’s been the seventh wettest summer since records began, nature has had an interesting year. For a starter it’s been a wonderful year giving bumper crops of blackberries, rowan berries and elderberries, with plump crops still hanging from the trees and bushes. This is good news for bird (and sometimes human) populations who’ll be able to gorge themselves ready for winter.

Fungi have also benefited from the wet but fairly warm weather, with plenty of fly agaric specimens. Countless fairy tale illustrations of elves and goblins sitting on or under toadstools show a bright red cap with white spots – similar to the fly agaric. The autumnal abundance and vibrant colours of fly agaric make it probably the most widely recognised species of fungi.

It’s hard to believe but statistics show summer and early autumn temperatures have been relatively average. If they continue so, the Woodland Trust’s Nature’s Calendar survey fully expects to receive reports of second flowerings as plants are fooled into believing its springtime again.

With a potentially fantastic autumn on the way, there will be more opportunities to enjoy nature, so everyone has the chance to get out and kick through leaves in some of the UK’s fantastic woods. Could you be the one who spots a bizarre spring plant flowering in autumn?

You can visit the Woodland Trust’s autumn colour website with its interactive map HERE to find the nearest autumn colour. And while enjoying the autumn spectacular, if you spot anything unusual (or indeed any of the more conventional autumn signs) you can record it to take part in the world’s leading study which looks into how seasonal events are affected by changes in the climate at www.naturescalendar.org.uk. The information provided will be used in real science; all you have to do is record what you see.

Autumn has always been known in folklore as a magical time. The rowan tree’s vibrant display of berries in autumn contributed to a belief in protective abilities against spirits as suggested in the old rhyme: "Rowan tree and red thread / make the witches tine (meaning 'to lose') their speed". Pieces of the tree were carried for personal protection from witchcraft and sprigs or pieces of rowan were used to protect cows and dairy produce from enchantment. When showing autumn colour, the power of rowan trees was though to be greatly enhanced.

Legend says that by October the Devil has spat on blackberries, making them inedible. However, with bramble still flowering and new berries still coming there may be opportunities to enjoy the blackberries that the Devil missed!

So with plump berries still about, but temperatures continuing to stay around the average and yet an extended growing season, indications suggest autumn is being lengthened and becoming one of the longest seasons in the calendar. Will we see lawns being mown on Christmas Day or see spring flowering plants flowering for a second time this year? We’ll have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store and what people see when they’re out and about.

Credit: WTPL Anna Badley