October in Treherbert Woods.

September finished with a splash, and that's exactly how October started, wet and wild with lots of rain and wind. Hoping for a break in the weather I grabbed my camera and headed over to the woods in the hope of seeing some bugs, birds and whatever else happened to be around, and also to record a short video for Welcome To Our Woods. 

Not many bugs around, but at least the day started off slightly  damp rather than actually raining.

Everything was taking on a much more autumnal feel now with colours definitely starting to change.

Not all the trees are changing yet, the oaks are still green, but the sycamore sapling is definitely changing colour. 

Most of the summer flowers are gone now, but there's still some Nipplewort around.

And a few parches of Meadow Buttercups by the stream under the Pixie Bridge.

As always there were a few robins around watching my every move, but these two were engrossed in each other and didn't give me a second glance!

The stream isn't looking too full considering the amount of rain we've had

But the camp site is looking distinctly muddy.

The water droplets dripping off the Alder catkins after the rain were looking beautiful in the dappled light.

The leaves are looking beautiful now catching the afternoon light.

                                             And they look just as lovely lying on the floor.

The fairy trail has been cleared away now, it's great to see the woods looking clean and tidy again, although if you look closely there are still a few signs that the fairies haven't completely abandoned the woods  😉.

And it's not just the fairy folk enjoying the woods, these two dogs were having a great time chasing each other around in the mud and splashing about in the stream.

One of the joys of Autumn is definitely seeing all the fungus starting to emerge. 

I'd come out with the intention of photographing insects but there was very little around. I did see this gorgeous little aphid though.

Although there have been a few beautiful days this month with lovely light and bright sunshine, unfortunately they haven't coincided with days I've been able to visit the woods, and rain has pretty much been the order of the month.

But on the very last day of October the sun finally came bursting through. Only for an hour or so, but it was enough for me to grab my boots and camera and rush out!

 

                           It was great to see a bit of blue sky between the trees for a change.

The camp site is looking great again now that  all the debris has been cleared up after the Fairy Trail. The fairies are lucky they left when they did, they'd have been pretty water logged now!

After all that rain it wasn't surprising to see so much water flowing under the Pixie Bridge. 

The paths were pretty muddy after all the rain, but looking lovely with the carpet of fallen leaves.

And the leaves still clinging to the trees were even more lovely with the sunlight shining through them.

I had hoped to see more birds, and even a squirrel or two, but there wasn't much around, not even the usual robin, but it was still worth the visit for this gorgeous light.

So after all the dreadful weather October did finally go out in a blaze of sunshine. Let's hope November is a bit drier. I'm looking forward to much more fungus, some bright crisp days, and maybe even some frost and snow. And one or two of those elusive squirrels would be a welcome sight too 😀

September in Treherbert Woods

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.