Autumn is here

The first sign was the shortening days experienced by the return of dark skies as the constellations became more visible in August. The dryness underfoot has returned with no need to avoid the boggy areas to stop your boots being sucked off your feet. There is no water in the beck for the second time this year - last time back in April when there was no rain for a whole month.

                                     

The newly born deer are maturing into teenagers and are becoming more adventurous. They can be seen on their own or with siblings rather than close to their attentive mum. 

It has taken until this last warm spell of summer, experienced in early September, for the butterflies to become prolific this year. The Speckled Woods have dominated this last week - small bright coloured ones playing in the sun. I understand they are gambling on laying eggs now which will have time to hatch into lavae as they can only pupate as lavae or pupae. 

The squirrels are busy and noisy - I only have grey squirrels and they call to one another whenever I am there. A hissing sound. I was sitting up Willhamena (the willow) one day (I have found her a great place to meditate) and a squirrel was scuttling up the trunk and came across me. She looked at me with surprise and held my gaze for a while. Looked away and then looked back. I stayed still and held her gaze. Eventually she moved on and looked down at me and ran across the canopy shouting.

  

It has taken an age for the blackberries to ripen. There are some huge black ones which are watery and some small hard black ones that are sour. Occasionally there is a tasty one but it looks like to the human taste the weather has not created the flavour the year. I shall leave the harvest for the birds. 

The sloes are ripening nicely I think.  

The hawthorn berries are so prolific that the trees look red.

Having thought I had no rowan trees I may have a go at counting them while they are in full berry - both orange and red.

The cherry trees are winning the autumn leaf colour competition just now.

       

I had thought the white beam was so called as the leaves look bright white as they emerge in spring and now I see them becoming ash white in autumn.

And some of the smaller gorse are in flower which is adding some late colour.

I expected the spores from the bracken would appear in August but nothing as yet. So I can still bash the bracken (the spores are carcinogenic). The paths are open but I doubt that bashing will weaken the plant much now. My understanding is that by knocking back the leaves no energy arrives in the rhizome which is stimulated to send up more leaves to compensate. Do this twice and the rhizome is weakened. But the season is so late I don’t think they will be stimulated to grown now and are about to become dormant. Better to work on a plan for next year to get 2 bashes away across the whole site. I love this view across the near bracken to the other side of the valley. There are 4 rescue horses posing nicely on the rock over there.

                                         

The fungi are growing again which is a sure sign that autumn is here

      

                          

I have started on my planting plan but have been diverted this summer with guests and a short break away, swimming and walking in the fells. It feels like a new term has started and I need to knuckle down and do my home work! I have planned the 2 zone 1's to be planted with Scotts Pine and Birch - and maybe Larch - still considering that one. Zone 2 is pretty much planned with maple, aspen, cherry, elm, lime, horse chestnut and alder. I need to work on zone 3 where I need to take care not to lose some of the great views so want to plant to account for the contours of the hill. Until the whole plan is done I won't be able to judge whether I have the density right but it is slowly falling into place.

As the shadows lengthen and the equinox arrives next week, I feel drawn more than ever to spend time on the land and to sleep in my hammock. The giddy dawn choruses of spring have gone and the buzz of insects in the air is turned down. There is a change in the light which my friend picked up when visiting recently (Marion Macarthur).

            

The weather is ‘quiet’ and I am enjoying that stillness while keeping warm and dry is still easy and a fire in the the astronomical dark can hold my gaze for many hours.

  

                                         

So as Summer turns to Autumn I am enjoying the subtle changes each time I visit although to be honest that happens anyway within a season. I am more attuned to those changes now and still have so much to learn.

I will finish with this,  my favourite footage from the Summer (July) which communicates real joy - watch all the way through and enjoy.