Conker Collecting Contest Anyone?

From city parks and suburban streets, to ancient woodlands, the country is changing colour. Where green once dominated, red, yellow, orange, and sometimes even purple have taken over. But I’m not talking about the work of a flamboyant graffiti artist. I’m referring to one of nature’s most beautiful metamorphoses.

The trees have taken their cue from the shortening days and dropping temperature and their leaves have stopped photosynthesising. As the vibrant green chlorophyll breaks down and new chemical reactions start to take place, the leaves take on the prismatic colours which we instantly associate with autumn.

The huge horse-chestnut tree that overhangs our garden reminds us each day of autumn’s brilliance. It drops regular gifts of multi-coloured leaves and conkers, sometimes on our heads! We have now filled a bucket to the brim with glossy mahogany-hued conkers which Andrew scours the garden for in readiness for mowing the lawn. A tip – conkers are the natural enemy of the lawnmower, don’t bring the two together unless you have always wanted a lawnmower with blunt blades.

We have no real plan for what to do with our conker stash but I’m a big fan of crafting so they are sure to come in handy – or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. Perhaps I’m just keeping them for sentimental reasons. My primary school had three enormous horse-chestnut trees and everyone in my year would compete each lunchtime to collect the most conkers in an hour. As you can imagine, there was much bustling and running, combined with the odd underhand tactic, but there would have been no point in telling us that they were just conkers. They were so much more than that. There is something really special about prising open the flesh of a freshly fallen spiky green capsule and popping out the jewel inside.

I reckon that autumn has the ability to make even the most mature person feel like a child again at heart. There are conkers to play with, leaf piles to jump in and blackberries to pick. Don’t pretend you’re not tempted. Unlike summer, it’s also cool enough to comfortably wear a raincoat, so the weather is no excuse for staying indoors. So go outside, release your inner child and bask in the simple joy of autumn.

A Fond Farewell to Summer

Now that the days are closing in and autumn is well and truly upon us, I’m finding it hard to accept that I’m not going to see some of my favourite fauna for a good few months. It won’t be until spring is in full force next year that the air will be punctuated again by the screams of swifts or the trilling of swallows. Another group of animals that we will miss through the winter is butterflies. As you will have seen from a couple of my earlier posts, I have set myself a challenge to photograph all British butterfly species. I haven’t set a time limit for this – I’m being realistic in acknowledging that certain butterflies can be elusive and their presence is difficult to predict.

Even now we still see red admirals and speckled woods out and about, braving the chillier weather, but most of the other butterflies have gone for this year, meaning that I will have to wait until the spring to continue my challenge.

Mindful of the waning summer, we made sure that we fit in one last visit to Wicken Fen before our trip to St Lucia, to see which butterflies were still around. Bimbling beyond Wicken’s Sedge Fen, one soon stumbles upon the aptly named Butterfly Trail.

The rich and diverse wildflowers provide food for larval and adult butterflies and the structure of the site offers sunny, still corridors between mature trees. For an area which is not substantial in size, it is home to an amazing range of butterflies. Along the route we caught sight of more Peacocks than I have ever seen in one place, both fluttering elegantly through the air and sitting poised calmly on flowers or the grass.

Another delight was the sight of an Essex Skipper. These are not particularly rare but they can be easily mistaken for Small Skippers. It is perhaps easiest to tell them apart if you manage to get a good photo of them. Unlike Small Skippers, Essex Skippers have black tips to their antennae. So next time you think you’ve seen a Small Skipper, it’s worth taking a second look.

Small and Large Whites danced together around thistles embellished with shocks of purple efflorescence. It is easier to tell the difference between these two Whites when they are together as they vary in size, as their names suggest. If their comparative size still doesn’t make it clear, then you can also take a look at the tips of the upper-side of their wings – Large Whites have more extensive, and often darker, black marks on their wing tips than Small Whites. However, both of these Whites are easily distinguishable from the Green-veined White – another species we came across on this visit. Green-veined Whites have beautiful, striking green etchings across the underside of their wings.

One species of butterfly which kept eluding my lens as we wandered around this enchanting fenland oasis was the Brimstone. We saw them flit between verdure just before us but they only rested for split seconds at a time, flirting with the idea that they would let me take photos of them. Then suddenly, as I was looking at a tree I noticed that something didn’t quite look right with one of its leaves. I realised that what I was actually looking at was a stealthy Brimstone, utilising its ingenious camouflage in order to blend in as far as possible with its surroundings. This is particularly easy for the females as they are a pale yellowish-green colour, unlike the males who are more vibrantly golden. After some time this sneaky butterfly flitted away but we decided that we weren’t going to let her get away. We followed close on her track through the winding paths as she repeatedly settled on the available vegetation and rose time and time again, moving further on each occasion from her original perch on the tree. Finally, as if she could sense our eagerness to capture her beauty, she relaxed upon a thistle to feed for just a few lingering moments, allowing me to take her photo.

Can you spot the disguised Brimstone?

And with that, my final newly photographed butterfly of the year took flight and disappeared into the canopy. It is with sadness that I say goodbye to the butterflies for this year, but with excitement that I look forward to next year’s butterflies and remind myself of the wildlife joys that autumn will bring.

Butterfly photography tally for 2015

Wicked Fen

Peacock

Essex Skipper

Large White

Green-veined White

Brimstone

Foxley Woods

Comma

Speckled Wood

White Admiral

Local Woods

Gatekeeper

Meadow Brown

Ringlet

Small White

Small Skipper

Red Admiral