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Autumn time
THE DAYS ARE getting shorter as nature
prepares for autumn, leaves will very soon
be turning to all those earthy shades from gold
to brown and our summer visitors such as
swallows, swifts and martins are on their way to
Africa for the winter as well as in a few weeks
the pipistrelle bats disappearing to go into
hibernation.
You might think that there’s nothing much to
see at this time of year but there’s still a lot of
activity going on. The squirrels are very busy
preparing their winter dreys and collecting food
for the lean months to come, the Canada geese
are to be heard honking loudly as they fly
overhead in that distinctive ‘V’ pattern and all the
creatures are eating as much as possible to put
on weight for winter.
I know a lot of you don’t like spiders but I find
them most fascinating creatures; their webs are
works of art, so beautifully strung especially
when dew is on them from a damp autumn
morning. You’d have to be up very early to catch
them and it’s also the best time to spot fungi,
they love the damp conditions and if you look
closely at most grassy areas; you’ll spot various
types from the tiny fairy-ring campignon
mushroom (pictured above) to the much larger
field mushroom. Our woody areas are full of a
manner of weird and colourful fungi but please
remember, that although most are harmless, we
do have some poisonous
ones too and it takes an
expert to know the
difference.
Insects had a bad time at the
start of the summer due
to all the rain we had,
particularly the bees
who have been in
decline for the last
couple of years. They
need all the help they
can get so I’m going to
be putting ‘bug hotels’ out for shelter as a lot of
insects hibernate too. Bug hotels are little
clusters of hollow tubes that you can hang from
a fence or hide in a corner, ideal for ladybirds,
moths and some types of bee to snuggle down
until spring. We forget about insects when we
think about wildlife but they have such an
important role to play in pollinating our flowers,
fruits and crops; we’d be in terrible trouble
without them.
Our green spaces are teeming with life, I hope
you get out there and enjoy exploring them this
autumn.
5
By Fran Jefcoate
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HARCA
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