Tag: autumn

Septeber 7th – Escaping late afternoon, the sky was dark, but the cloud broken. I’ve started exploring Hopwas Hayes Wood, and I aimed myself in that direction, through Shenstone and Little Hay, then up Knox’s Grave Lane. At Shenstone Park, the heavens opened for about 10 minutes, then the sun came out. The pattern continued, and at Weeford and Tamhorn, it resulted in fantastic rainbows. The warm sun was never far away, and Hopwas Hays Wood was fantastic, too. 

The only note of concern was the distinct chill in the air as evening fell. I don’t like that; it caressed like winter.

September 6th – The rains came today, but not too much. Skipping out weary in the afternoon, I rode the canal towpaths which were quiet, and fast. There was that lovely fresh earth, post rain smell, and the landscape looked clean and fresh. What impressed me most, though was the huge variety of flowers and plants still showing well along the towpath. This selection were all spotted between the Pier Street Bridge and Coopers Bridge, just by the Watermead.

September 5th – A hectic, mad day. I started in Telford, then shot back to Tyseley, then over to Darlaston. I didn’t get many photos, but this lone apple tree intrigued me. Laden with fruit, on the embankment of the motorway at Telford, it is some way off the cycle path that runs beside the M54. Clearly not planted deliberately, as it appears to be the only one. The fruit are growing are untouched, save for bird-pecks. I wondered, idly, if it had grown from the seed in an apple core tossed away by a driver, or perhaps a passing cyclist.

Guerrilla planting of a different, accidental kind.

September 4th – Interestingly, the honeysuckle thicket on the approach to the Black Cock Bridge in Walsall Wood is in a second phase of flowering. Lots of plants seem to be; the trefoil is showing strongly again, dead nettles seem back in bloom, and I’ve even seen a few fresh poppies in the hedgerows.

This doesn’t seem normal to me. It must be the sign of a good season. Long may it continue.

August 31st – Autumn knocked on my door today, and I reluctantly let her in. I set out lunchtime for a ride over the Chase – after exploring Bevin’s Birches and the old quarries last week, my quest to find the remoter parts of this beautiful place has intensified. The wind – although no terribly bad – felt like it had been wrought on Satan’s back step, after the relatively still summer. It was chilly, too, and I felt the edge of the cold. The bracken is turning, the puffballs are growing well, and there is a hint of autumn everywhere you look, from the heaths of Gentleshaw, to the charm of Birches Valley. 

As fellow cyclist @Accidentobizaro said on Twitter:  ‘I know autumn is fab.I do.Mists, mulberries, colours, walks, scarves, cyclocross. I know. But [weeps inconsolably]’

August 27th – Is it late summer or early autumn? My dilemma over the seasons continues. I guess we’re in the interregnum now. Cycling back through the lanes of Stonnall this evening, It was hazy and warm, with a light, barely perceptible mist the sun had been unable to burn off. The fields looked gorgeous, and I was fascinated by the impromptu parliament on the overhead lines.

Who cares what season it is? It’s beautiful.

August 26th – It is time again for the annual warning: there’s a killer in the hedgerows right now. These stalks of bright orange-red berries grow in hedges, woodlands and other scrub, and grow 6-10 inches tall. Very distinctive, Lords and Ladies is very attractive, particularly to kids, but is one of the most toxic plants in the British Isles. These examples were growing in the hedgerows of Hamstall Ridware and Hoar Cross.

The berries of Arum Maculatum, also known as Devils and Angels, Cuckoo Pint or Wild Arum contain a poison that causes swelling of the mouth and throat and sickness. Fatality is rare, as the berries are very acid and consuming enough to kill would be a challenge, but the plant causes most admissions to A&E for plant poisoning in the UK.

It’s a gorgeous thing to look at, just don’t touch it. This one worries me, as it grows at a height such that small kids spot straight away, and the beautiful colour is very attractive to them. Be careful.

August 25th – One good thing about the coming autumn is it’s the fungi season. I love all manner of the mycology – toadstools, puffballs, mildews, moulds, brackets and more. I love the fact that what you’re seeing isn’t the organism itself, just the flower and that the parent life form can be huge and underground, with maybe dainty little caps showing. I also love the lifecycle, speed of change and development.

These examples were at Penkridge Bank, on Cannock Chase. Bring it on.

August 23rd – Spinning out through the countryside, I noticed how many plants and trees are fruiting – rowan, oak and many I don’t recognise. The willow herb is seeding, too, and it’s easy to see why it has the colloquial name ‘old man’s beard’. It’s very hard to escape the fact that autumn is now on my heels. A sobering thought.