Despite the feint hope of an Indian summer, the last few days of high winds, heavy rain and chilly temperatures have a much more autumnal feel. For those of you who like me are struggling to believe September is here already, there are a few stark reminders that are starting to ram this home with leaf tint, acorns, windfall fruit and migratory birds gathering making denying the seasonal change very hard!
Heres the question though, what one natural sign is the final straw that signifies the end of summer and the beginning of autumn?
I have picked 10 topical signs that occur throughout this changing of the seasons, although there are lots more that could be more significant to individuals, if i've missed one out let us all know about it and if you want to share your pictures of the signs then go for it!
As an additional discussion, do you feel that the signs of autumn are arriving earlier this year?
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
Fieldfare said: Conkers and acorns for me since I am still a big kid and as soon as I see them I immediately think YAY THE JOY OF AUTUMN and throw them at my friends :)
Conkers and acorns for me since I am still a big kid and as soon as I see them I immediately think YAY THE JOY OF AUTUMN and throw them at my friends :)
Don't ask me why, but my OH who is 40 decided to collect conkers one autumn! They were sat on the shelf for ages (until I chucked them out lol).
There are conkers falling but they are very small conkers, large conkers seem to be in very short supply!
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
I have not noticed many conkers dropping yet but there seems to be an abundance of acorns this year. The jays will have to work extra hard! We're getting lots of reports of gatherings of swallows and there are some corking fly agarics out at the moment...
Spiders webs for me try getting a pic of one with the early sun lighting it and a heavy dew clinging to the strands wonderful.
Talking of conkers and spiders there is a old wives tale that if you place some conkers in the corner of a room it will deter spiders :)
A very old Shropshire Lad.
Susan H said: Round my neck of the woods the leaves are falling quickly. The pavements are covered with brown leaves, nuts and acorns already, but the garden birds still think it's spring - I am still seeing baby goldfinches being fed by parents. I haven't heard a robin singing yet. Nothing to do with the natural world, I always know winter is approaching when Blackpool Lights get switched on, and that was last weekend!! (Plenty of wild life to be seen, but nothing natural!)
Round my neck of the woods the leaves are falling quickly. The pavements are covered with brown leaves, nuts and acorns already, but the garden birds still think it's spring - I am still seeing baby goldfinches being fed by parents. I haven't heard a robin singing yet.
Nothing to do with the natural world, I always know winter is approaching when Blackpool Lights get switched on, and that was last weekend!! (Plenty of wild life to be seen, but nothing natural!)
I am with Linda as we still have young Goldies coming in,i haven't heard a Robin sing but leaves are falling fast.I am off to London next month and worried :0( Last year,same month, the weather in London was gorgeous.
An optimist sees the beauty of the complete rose.A pessimist sees only the thorn .
why do spiders make homes in your clothes pegs and refuse to go elsewhere
Apart from the Robins, its Hearing of all sorts of birds arriving. I say hearing as here on the West Coast well what can I say? Also, away from nature its hearing that Strictly is about to start. Somehow I don't think its going to be as colourful a season as previous two years. Be good to be proved wrong though.
Although I might hear the call of robins change, for me it's still the first call, first sight of geese returning from the north. Fanastic, makes my head turn instinctivley, scanning the sky for that first glimps of these wonderful travellers. For me the geees arrive around my wee sisters birthday the 19/09 + that is the start of autumn for me.
'In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks' John Muir.
Excuse wobbily dyslexic spelling!
I always say its when the large spiders start entering your home, and in the last 2 days i have had 2 very large absolute beauties roaming around my kitchen floor (kids and wife were panic stricken ) !!!!, large jam jar to the rescue and took them outside so they can start to plan there journey to enter the house again.
Regards Colin
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If I'm being cynical I'd say when the first Christmas catalogues start dropping onto the doormat (i.e. last week for me). If being less cynical then it's the conkers and acorns.. My son has always gone out to collect conkers from the age of 3 and at 10 shows no signs of kicking the habit. As a result I now know the location of every horse chestnut tree within a mile radius of our house and which ones are the best to go for.
Voting is over and there is a clear win for falling acorns and conkers! The return of the robins song was a popular second choice with swallows and martins gathering a close third!
Thanks for your votes and comments, keep an eye for lingering signs of summer such as late summer migrants, dragonflies and migrant butterflies like clouded yellows.