Ode to Autumn

My Ode to Autumn is less of an ode, and more of a swift rambling about some of my favourite things you can see on a woodland walk at this time of year. It is a time of year that could be depressing- the days get shorter, the nights get longer and the leaves turn brown – but it is beautiful. Autumn is all about colour, texture, feel and change. The air gets colder, the colours change, leaves become crispy, even the light in the sky gets more depth. It is a wonderful month. A transitional month. Where the green of hedgerows is mottled with browns, reds and purples.

Autumn is also when you see nature that is specific to this time of year. Wild mushrooms… which this year seem to be blooming in the warm, wet weather. Sloe berries add a purple hue to the hedges, while hawthorn berries add red tones.

Light is also stunning at this time of year. I know there is a scientific reasoning behind it, I even remember being told it… but really I prefer to just enjoy it. The intense sun hitting the colours, highlighting them and making them even more beautiful.

Sound also sounds more intense in Autumn. Have you ever stood in the midst of trees on the first frosty day of the year. If it is quiet enough you can here the leaves snapping and falling to the ground. It is a magical sound… though finding somewhere quiet enough to hear this isn’t always the easiest.

And finally, the animals in Autumn. Seals come up to Donna Nook and have their babies. The swallows line up on wires ready to fly to warmer climates and geese practice their Vs.

These are some of my favourite things about Autumn. What are yours? Do you have a particular memory of a woodland walk? Or something you wait for every year like the lining up of the swallows?