September started off bright and sunny, with lots of water running under the Pixie Bridge after a wet August.
And the wet and wild weather had also brought down a few of the smaller trees and left lots of muddy puddles.
And some very bedraggled paths
A week into the month and I timed my visit for just before sunset, and was rewarded with a beautiful soft light.
And the colours from the sky and clouds as the sun went down made some beautiful reflections in the muddy puddles and streams.
The sun setting up the valley lit up the hills with a beautiful golden glow.
And the light over the Pixie Bridge was lovely.
A week later and the weather was beautiful, lots of sunshine had dried up the paths.
And there was lots of wavy bittercress around
As well as the common eyebright still in abundance
And no visit to the woods is complete these days without seeing ( and hearing ) at least one beautiful little robin.
The sunshine is certainly welcome after all the rain of August, and it's great to think that summer isn't over quite yet, although there are a few hints that Autumn isn't too far away, with a few fungus starting to make an appearance.
Someone has hung up a few bird feeders since my last visit, but when I past they were all empty and there were very birds around.
The trees are still looking fabulous in their summer greenery
And the young Sycamore sapling is looking a lot sturdier now and seems to be getting taller every time I pass.
There are still lots of blackberries around
And now that the paths are drier again it's as popular as ever for walkers, and with another Covid Lockdown, yet again it's been a real blessing to have such a beautiful area close to home.
The Angelica is definitely past it's best now and going to seed.
And there's still plenty of Himalayan balsam around, although the bees are getting fewer now.
The Hemp Agrimony is also way past it's best.
And the Ragwort has been decimated, with not a caterpillar in sight.
And the downy flower heads of the Rose-Bay Willow-Herb is a definite precursor to Autumn.
There's still some Pimpernell Willow herb too, but it's getting harder to spot.
Not your typical woodland plant, the crocosmia is another invasive species that's getting more common, but it does provide a nice bright splash of colour.
There's still lots of clover around.
And as the month draws to an end there are even more downy heads appearing on the willow herb, although the stems haven't really starting turning to their trademark reds and oranges
The trees are starting to lose their leaves now, but the birds are still finding plenty to sing about.
And after a dry spell it's now relatively easy to cross the ford making it easy to do a circular walk through the woods.
But just a few metres further away the stream is looking really pretty covered with the fallen autumn leaves.
But it's not just the fallen leaves that are turning colour
The Ivy, Oak, Hawthorn and everything else are all starting to turn now too.
And the paths are starting to look quite Autumnal too despite the weather still being quite warm.
There are lots of catkins on the Alder trees now.
And who would have thought such an invasive plant as the Japanese Knotweed could look so beautiful when it flowers? Luckily there's very little of it around, just one small patch growing at the very edge of the wood. Let's hope it doesn't spread too much.
As always there's been a robin following me around on all of my visits keeping me entertained with his songs.
One of the things I've enjoyed most over the past month has been watching and (trying to ) photograph the bugs and insects that I've spotted
The last few days of the month were pretty wet so I didn't manage a final visit, but here's hoping for a beautiful Autumnal October.
