What to Look out for in October

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RachelMC
Posts: 460
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:04 pm
Location: Chester

What to Look out for in October

Post by RachelMC »

What to Look out for in October:

This month I start by including a snippet taken from the Manchester Guardian 100 years ago:

“The road-sweepers are busily removing the litter of leaves, for the "fall" has begun in good time. All the beautiful tints of natural decay are appearing in the leaves of the forest trees, the creepers are a magnificent crimson, and the turning bracken lights up the woodlands with a glow of colour which is yet associated with the cool of autumn. It is such a natural change, so ordinary a beauty, that we take it as a matter of course. But it is just these regular but wonderful seasonal changes, if we only take the trouble to look at them, which make the study of nature so ever fresh. There is nothing "new," no "record" in the autumn glory, but whoever truly loves nature or is gifted with the artistic eye finds annual pleasure and interest in the commonplace.”

In October, autumn colour spreads through the hedgerows and woodlands, with the hazel (Corylus avellana) being one of the earliest native species to turn brown. Where the soil is alkaline old man's beard (Clematis vitalba) becomes particularly evident, swamping large areas of hedgerow with its abundant fluffy seed heads. Sloes start to stand prominent on the spikey branches of the blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), as its tatty autumn leaves fall away. Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) leaves have taken on their seasonal hues and look shabby, but also are the first to create a wonderful bronze spectacle in the bright autumn sunshine. Other trees such as ash (Fraxinus excelsior) are much more subtle in their colour change, turning light green then yellow. The field maple (Acer campestre), which is native and common in hedgerows, has small lobed leaves which turn a wonderfully vibrant yellow.

Riverside vegetation is still lush and full. Many of the common reed (Phragmites australis), common reedmace (Typha latifolia) and branched bur-reed (Sparganium erectum) type species that fringe the river will be bearing their seed heads and some meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) flowers can still be seen.

A damp Autumn brings on many wonderful fungal fruiting bodies, e.g. mushrooms and toadstools. Woodlands, both deciduous and coniferous, and old pastures are the best places to find fungi. However they are everywhere and can be found on rotting wood and healthy trees, and in parks, gardens and on lawns. One noticeable formation is the fairy ring, formed by Marasmius oreades, although it can fruit from Spring through to Autumn. As the years pass the fungus spreads out further and further from the centre of the circle, and hence some examples can be proved to be decades old.

In autumn very few birds can be heard singing, although they do call to one another as they move around in flocks. The exception can often be robins (Erithacus rubecula) with their melancholy autumn song. One of the delights of this time of the year is the arrival of large flocks of winter thrushes moving slowly southwards - the redwing (Turdus iliacus) and the fieldfare (Turdus pilaris). They come from Iceland and Scandinavia where they will have bred. Migration comes to an end for most birds in October. Some warblers and house martins (Delichon urbica) may still be seen into October but will not see out the month.

(Notes compiled by Rachel with acknowledgement to: When to Watch Wildlife)

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