Data collected by the public for the Woodland Trust’s Nature’s Calendar project suggests that autumn has arrived, as records of leaf tinting in tree species such as horse chestnut, beech and sycamore are being recorded across the country.
The data suggests that autumn colour is more than two weeks later than average, as first leaf tinting records are around 14 days later than previous years for species such as ash, elder, oak and horse chestnut.
Experts at the Trust predict weather conditions will create vibrant colours this autumn, making this year particularly great for ‘leaf peeping’.
Both chemical and weather conditions can have an effect on autumn colour, and this year’s weather conditions have been optimum for an array of vibrant leaf tinting.
The records collected for the Trust’s Nature’s Calendar project have also shown the best crop of autumn fruit since fruiting records started 12 years ago, for crops of bramble, rowan and elder.
Nature’s Calendar asks members of the public to record first sightings of leaf tint along with that of ripe berries, scoring the abundance of fruit on a scale of 1-5, 1 being no fruit and 5 being exceptional.
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