I felt a chill in the air as I set out this morning, admiring the spikey brown Teasels and listening to the dawn chorus of birdsong; Chaffinch, Robin, and Wren.
I’ve been really enjoying this gentle transition out of ‘Summer’ (continually having to remind myself its mid-October!) and the butterflies have too, with Red Admiral, Small White, and Speckled Wood all spotted along Long Meadow.
Many of the trees through the woodland are only just beginning to lose their leaves. This process is induced by hormone changes as light levels reduce and temperatures drop. The purpose is conserve resources over winter whilst the amount of energy gained through photosynthesis is significantly reduced, so it makes sense that the leaves will literally hang-on for longer if the sunshine continues.
That said, its also eerily calm at the moment, so the leaves haven’t had chance to be blown free. The sea at Durlston Bay appears quite solemn as only faint ripples moves across the waters surface. Above this deep blue, a band of golden sky can be seen stretched across the horizon and wedged below an ominous grey cloud.
There is one usual suspect disturbing the peace, and dislodging the leaves one by one... A Grey Squirrel, rustling its way through the canopy and leaving a downpour of leaves to fall in its wake as it scampers along the branches.
Further on in my walk, more greys. They scurry through the dry crisp leaves of Holm Oak and Sycamore, scrounging for breakfast – a juicy grub or nutritious acorn. Upon hearing the approach of my footsteps, they jolt to attention, perched on their hind legs like a meercat. Another footstep. A quick scramble up a tree, claws scratching against the bark as they climb and disappear behind the trunk.