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September Nature Note 17 September 2007 Nature notes for September
Well it must be autumn as the local garden centre is advertising its Autumn Sale.
The days are definitely getting shorter now; the sun is casting longer shadows than ever before. Whilst walking the dog, I couldn’t help but notice the acorns that have formed on the oaks that welcome me on my walk down the Gill. This of course is my favourite walk in our village, the bridle way from Wapping Bridge down passed Biddick Hall. It can be such a joy and relaxing walk, away from the hustle and bustle of the traffic that is a part of everyone’s life. I look at the magnificence of the trees towering above me and the greenery of the brambles that shade the roots. It just fills me with contentment that all is good in the wood. The beech has prematurely shed some of its seeds; this is not the “mast” that I am waiting for, when the ripe seeds drop from the beech trees.
Blackberries are very ripe now, very tasty as a little snack. I am not going to indulge myself this year in any blackberry pie, as one must try to shed a stone or two, but don’t let that put you off as nothing is quite as nice as hand picked fruit for home baking.
I have been picking the first crop of apples from my “Family” apple tree, this has three varieties growing on the same tree, the varieties would have been grafted onto the main rooting stock in the nursery, thus enabling pollination from the bees, where as single trees need a neighbouring tree to help with the pollination. I have long since forgotten the varieties that produce the fruit on my tree but this year looks like being a bumper crop.
Last year I decided to store my apples in the shed, but I found I was only supplying the mice that must live in or under the shed. They were very tidy eaters I must admit as each apple was consumed individually before starting on the next one, thankfully they didn’t touch the onion crop that was also stored in the shed.
The yearly attacks on the horse chestnut trees for the “conkers” have begun. Anyone who is knowledgeable about this “play seed” will tell you that patience is required to allow the nuts to drop off the tree in their own good time, as these will be nice and ripe and hard to do battle with your opponent.
However every year you see father and son or perhaps mother and daughter throwing sticks up into the trees to dislodge the sought after conkers; some people never learn.
By the time that you will be reading this we will be approaching the end of British Summer time as the clocks “fall” back an hour, shorter days, darker nights and a time for nature to take its well earned rest.
 By the time some trees awake again in the spring some of ours in the nursery will have taken up permanent residence in the woods at New Lambton, and fingers crossed that they are left alone to grow to enhance our village for future generations to enjoy.
Ken.
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