There was a definite change in the air last week. Autumn colours have really begun to show themselves with leaves falling in greater numbers now too. Storms have been hitting areas of the UK as well, bringing increased rainfall throughout the country. On one wet day a few weeks ago, I caught a Jay (Garrulus glandarius) foraging nearby as I worked.
I remained as silent and still as possible; thankfully it was unperturbed by my presence as it searched for seeds and insects beneath the birch.
Halloween, Bonfire night and Diwali have passed and Christmas lights are already being switched on which seems strange when the weather remains quite mild. While there have been a couple of frosts recently, I can’t help but wonder if we will get a repeat of last year when the cold weather abruptly arrived and affected plants that were continuing to grow (not yet acclimatised to the changing season). Unnervingly, strawberries and raspberries have still been ripening up until a few weeks ago (not something I have encountered in October before). However, small changes are occurring slowly. While grass is still growing, the rate has slowed and overall growth on the allotment and in gardens has reduced too (plus the vegetable beds have been covered for winter).
At this time when accepting hibernation feels easy, it’s possible to observe the small things in nature that can bring joy; Observing sunrises and sunsets, seeing the stars and tree silhouettes, the crisp sunny days and Robins becoming bolder.
While cutting back some perennials I witnessed a Leopard slug (Limax maximus) laying eggs; seeing this was a first for me and made me so happy.
They can produce between 50- 130 eggs under cover which can overwinter if protected. I made sure I covered them up again after accidentally disturbing them. The common name for this slug is due to the wonderful pattern on its skin. These common slugs prefer to eat decaying material and fungi, along with other slugs, rather than living plant matter, so they are beneficial in gardens; adding nutrients into soil. They can live for three years and grow up to 150mm (in fact they are the largest slug in the UK- hence the latin name).
Another find that brought me joy was finding a Belemnite (Belemnitida) amongst some driveway gravel- shown below on my nature tray.
Often found amongst gravel, they are fossils of a marine mollusc resembling squid and cuttlefish in oceans today; Creatures which lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous period of earth’s history, at the same time as dinosaurs. A diagram of them an be found at British Geological Survey.
Bee in the Moment 