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!!

Pumpkins in the fall

Pumpkins are a huge tradition around the fall or autumn time, and are often associated with harvest festival celebrations, Thanksgiving, and Halloween. But what do we know about pumpkins and where do these traditions come from? 🎃

Pumpkins are thought to have originated from Central America around 7,500 years ago, however they are now grown successfully all over the world and form a large part of autumn celebrations in North America and Europe.  They are technically a type of squash and can come in all different shapes, sizes and colours!  The most classically well-known orange pumpkins are actually called Connecticut Field Pumpkins or Harvest Moon pumpkins and these are usually used at Halloween because they are so good for carving.

Making Jack-o'-lanterns or carved pumpkins started in Ireland in 19th century where they carved faces out or turnips or mangel wurzels to ward off evil spirits.  This practice became part of Halloween celebrations where they were used to represent supernatural beings on the eve of All Hallows or All Saints and is now synonymous with Halloween wherever it is celebrated. 

Pumpkins also play a huge role in the American tradition of Thanksgiving.  The Pilgrims apparently ate pumpkins and squashes that were native to New England and so gradually they became added to the Thanksgiving meal either as a savoury dish such as mashed pumpkin, or a sweet dish in the form of pumpkin pie. 

A huge number of pumpkins are grown every year around the world.  Around 700,000 tonnes of pumpkins are produced in the US each fall, but the number grown in China far exceeds this with around 8.1 million tonnes harvested each year.  Sadly, many of these pumpkins are wasted as they are used for carving and decoration and then discarded into landfill.  We can make more sustainably choices however, if we try to choose varieties that are more edible so the flesh, seeds and skin are not wasted.  We can also make sure we compost any leftover pumpkin or put it out for birds, squirrels and foxes who may benefit from the extra food source at this time of year.  Roasting the seeds is another good option for making the most of the pumpkin's inner contents.  Finally, try to buy pumpkins from a local farm as this minimises the transport costs and emissions and supports local businesses.  And it's sure to be a fun day out too!

To find out more, click here to read about pumpkins and the issue of unsustainability.

To find out how to use your pumpkin once Halloween is over, click here for some ideas!

🎃

Activity: Make a hedgehog home

This is the time of year when hedgehogs start to hibernate. Hedgehogs are sadly in decline in the UK with less than a million left due to a decline in their habitats. Making a home or shelter for hedgehogs will help them by providing them with a secure place to shelter, hibernate, or even raise little hoglets safely.

Hedgehogs go house-hunting in the autumn and so this is the ideal time of year to set one up.  To make a really simple hedgehog home, all you need is a large cardboard box.  Cut two side vents into the two walls of the box and a large entrance for the hedgehog to walk in.  Next, find a place suitable to put the hedgehog home.  A quiet part of your garden under thick vegetation is best. Somewhere behind a shed if you have one would be perfect!  Place the box south-facing if you can.  Finally, tear up some newspaper and place it inside to make a cosy and dry floor.  Add some straw on top if you have it.  If you box is not under vegetation, you might want to cover it with a plastic bag (leaving the vents and entrance open) and then place leaves and deadwood on top.  

You can also make a hedgehog house out of a more sturdy plastic container or even pieces of wood if you have them.  Click here to read instructions from the Wildlife Trusts.

Linking gardens together is also a great way of making areas more hedgehog friendly.  Did you know that hedgehogs can travel up to one mile every night?!  Ensure that you have small holes at the bottom of your fence that are free of leaves and twigs for hedgehogs to pass through.  See if you can get your whole street on board to help make a hedgehog highway! Click here to find out more from the Hedgehog Street campaign. 

Colours of the fall

Looking at the horizon now, I can see so many autumn colours on all the trees that surround our houses, parks and green spaces.  I am reminded of the rainbows of lockdown and how the bright colours were a symbol of hope in these uncertain days.  With another (sort-of!) of lockdown feeling imminent, it feels like the right time to take a moment to look at the colours and beauty around us and take ourselves into nature where it is calm, quiet and peaceful.  

I love nothing more than stepping out of the door and finding new woodland trails to explore in my local area.  Seeing the colours on the leaves turning shades of yellow, orange and red made me stop and think about how and why this happens. What is it that makes the leaves change colour and fall down, and why does it happen now?

Well it's all down to chemicals in the leaves called pigments. Chlorophyll is the most well-known pigment which makes the leaves a green colour. This helps the plant to make food using the sun's light. Another pigment is carotene which is a yellow colour, and anthocyanin which turns the leaves red and pink. 

The strength of these pigments is determined by different things.  When the nights start to get colder, the chlorophyll is destroyed by the colder temperatures and the leaf takes on a yellow colour.  If the weather stays dry, the sugars in the leaves become more concentrated and more anthocyanin is produced making the leaves turn red. Sunny days help the plant use up the remaining chlorophyll and produce sugars making it turn from green to red. 

As the days get shorter and darker, it signals to the tree to shed its leaves.  This is because there is not enough sunlight for the tree to keep producing energy and so the leaves are dropped and will be regrown in the spring. The shedded leaves fall to the ground and are decomposed by bacteria and fungi which releases nutrients ready to be taken up again. 

To find out more about the tree cycle, visit The Wildlife Trusts page on Autumn Leaves 🍁