An area of high pressure moved in during the last days of October, bringing some welcome cool, fresh and sunny weather. Sunday 29th October, the day of our meet, was less humid but fine with scattered cloud, good conditions for observing the progress of autumn.
Looking directly upwards, A Hazel tree still with
brilliant yellow leaves under the huge canopy of an old Oak tree,
also retaining most of its leaves.
Hazel nuts were the first to appear months ago and were soon plucked by
wildlife whilst still unripe - but the oak still held acorns in less
accessible branches.
Both oak and hazel trees provide welcome shelter from autumn storms, their leaves forming warm sunlit perches for late butterflies and dragonflies. Holes, broken branches and tangled roots provide roosting and winter nesting places for birds and small mammals.
With most other leaves falling, it was easier for our group to spot discarded items which had previously remained hidden from sight, amongst them a bicycle and a folding chair, retrieved before winter floods carry them off downstream.
