Snowberries

Earlier I spotted the arrival of berries on my snowberry plant ❄️

They are even more obvious now that the leaves have faded and dropped away. I don’t know that much about snowberry plants so I had a quick search for some facts and this is what I found:

⚪️  Snowberries are part of the honeysuckle family
⚪️  They are particularly hardy and survive well in areas of poor soil
⚪️  The berries make an important food source for small mammals during the winter
⚪️  Snowberries are toxic to humans and should not be eaten
⚪️  Native Americans used snowberries for medicine and soap, and in Russia they are crushed into dry hands as a kind of lotion

Snowberry is a great choice of plant for your garden as it needs very little maintenance and is a great source of pollen in the summer for bees and provides shelter for animals all year round too.  The only thing you will need to do is make sure you cut it back every so often so that it doesn't take over the garden!

To find out more, click here to read more about the snowberry. 

What happens to all the leaves?

It has been a beautiful autumn but it sadly feels like its now coming to an end. The days are getting ever shorter and the last of the leaves are starting to fall off the trees. All the woodlands in my local area are carpeted with a layer of rich leaf litter, but what happens to all these leaves over time?

Leaf drop is a very important part of the seasonal cycle in this part of the norther hemisphere, and especially important for deciduous trees.  When leaves fall to the ground, they slowly begin to decompose and decay.  This is when the leaf breaks down and goes back to its original components such as sugars, fibres, and nutrients.  The main decomposers are creepy crawlies such as woodlice, slugs, snails, worms and bacteria.  A further major decomposer of leaves is fungi or mushrooms!  You see these a lot in woodlands and forests and there are literally hundreds of different types!

Although we don't like to think too much about rotting leaves and slimy slugs, this is actually a hugely important process and our woodlands wouldn't survive without it.  The process of decomposing releases nutrients back into the soil and these can then be taken up by the plants and trees again in the spring, ready to grow new leaves, buds and blossom.  

It is wonderful seeing all the fallen leaves on the ground in our local parks and wooded areas; however, there is sometimes the temptation to get rid of the leaves that we have in our back gardens and yards to make them look neater and prettier.  Maybe this year, think about leaving some of the leaf litter on the ground or putting them into a compost bin where they can continue rotting down naturally and then add the goodness back into the soil. They won't do any harm lying on the ground, and they may even boost your garden's richness and biodiversity next year!

Click here to read more about the Wildlife Trusts' 'Leave a Wild Corner' campaign.

A bumper year for nuts and seeds

This year has seen a bumper crop of nuts and seeds from our favourite woodland trees.  This is known as a mast year... but why does it happen? 🌰🌰🌰

Every few years, trees can decide to produce a huge number of nuts and seeds and drop them all on the ground at the same time.  This means that there is more than plenty for all the birds, mice and squirrels to feed on and there are probably quite a few seeds that get left uneaten.  These seeds then go into the ground and lie dormant over winter.  In the spring, they germinate and grow up a little saplings that in the future will make their own nuts and seeds!  

You might think that the trees would do this more often as it sounds like a good way to ensure that lots of seeds get sown leading to more trees growing.  However, it takes a lot of energy from the trees to grow so many nuts and seeds and it actually stunts their growth when they do this.  Therefore, trees only have a mast year every 5-10 years so that they can continue to grow tall. 

The other mystery is how the trees know to do this all at the same time!  It wouldn't really work if only one tree dropped it nuts and seeds as they would probably all get eaten.  Scientists reckon that trees have a clever way of communicating through the soil, and that the weather also has something to do with helping the trees time their bumper crop.  

To find out more, click here to visit the Wildlife Trusts' webpage about mast years and why autumn 2020 has been such a good year 🌰🌲🍂

Activity: Leaf crafts

The windy and rainy weather has brought down a tonne of leaves this weekend 🍂🍂🍂  and it's sad not to see them on the trees any longer.  However, there are so many ways that we can still use and enjoy the leaves and their beautiful variety of shapes and colours.

If you're on the look out for red leaves, then acers or maples are best as they have rich, deep crimsons and scarlets.  Beech trees have the wonderful yellows and orangey tones that look so stunning against a bright blue sky.  All the other classic British trees such as oak, birch, alder, ash, sycamore and hazel will have beautiful rainbow of colours in the autumn, and the fun is trying to catch them at all the different stages of turning from one shade to the next!

Here is my list of my top favourite leaf art or leaf activities that you can do this November:

🍂 Crayon leaf rubbing

Take a good sized leaf (maybe one with good strong veins!) and place a piece of paper over it.  Gently rub a crayon over the top to get an imprint of the leaf from underneath.  Repeat with lots of different leaves and colours on a large piece of paper to get a collage effect. 

🍂 Leaf printing

Apply paint to one side of your leaf (can be one paint colour or a mix of colours!) and then carefully place it paint side down onto a piece of paper to create an imprint of the leaf skeleton.  Repeat with lots of leafs to create an autumnal masterpiece!

🍂 Leaf bowl

Place some large leaves over an upturned breakfast bowl and gently apply PVA glue with a brush so that they stick together.  Leave for a good few hours to dry (maybe even overnight) and then gently remove form the bowl.  It would make a beautiful mantlepiece decoration or even a table centrepiece.

🍂 Leaf lantern jars

Similar to the bowl, place your leaves on the outside of a large jam jar or mason jar and apply glue to stick the leaves in place.  Make sure the leaves cover the whole of the outside of the jar and leave to fully dry overnight.  Place some tea lights into your jar and watch the effect of the light glowing through the leaf colours.

🍂 Leaf mobile

This make a beautiful display for a window.  Get a long twig and some string if you can, and tie different sized and coloured leaves at different lengths along it.  Place in a window or from a mantlepiece where you can see all the leaves. 

🍂 Leaf wreath

I was so inspired to make a leaf wreath when I came back from New England a few years ago.  The Americans love seasonal wreaths (not just at Christmas!) and so I just had to give it a go.  Tie or glue some leaves around a circular wreath frame and then hang from your front door for a cosy, welcoming decoration. 

I hope that's given you some inspiration!  You might even find that you become a bit more expert at identifying the leaf shapes and and sizes while you're crafting away 🍁  Happy November!!