On September 1st, explore the gentle transition from summer to autumn in September's Transition. Discover the rich tapestry of nature as berries, apples, and nuts ripen, and the landscape transforms with changing leaf colors and tangled hedgerows. Learn about the fascinating behaviors of insects, the quiet preparation of birds for migration, and the first appearances of brightly colored fungi.
Join us for an insightful journey through the early days of autumn, where every corner of nature is teeming with life and the first signs of seasonal change begin to appear. Whether you're a nature enthusiast or simply curious about the seasonal shifts, this article will captivate and inspire you.
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Introduction
September sees summer gently ebbing away and autumn slowly advancing. It is a time for berries, apples, nuts, craneflies, harvestmen, spiders’ webs, tangled hedgerows and changing leaf colour. Butterflies and moths have less wild flowers to feed upon and so are seen more in gardens, where there are always blooms. Occasionally a rare migrant will join them. Insects such as ground beetles, bugs and wasps get noticed more, whereas more flower-loving insects such as hoverflies and soldier beetles are beginning to be noticed less. Flies and wasps are now often to be seen congregating around ivy flowers during the day and moths at night.
In the past Londoners celebrated Bartholomew fair and gathered harvest flowers before the stubble was burned. Few of these cornfield weeds now remain due to the use of herbicides. This fair ceased in the mid nineteenth century after seven centuries of excitements as did the ‘hop specials’ i.e. the trains which took Londoners with their children to pick hops in Kent. Autumn officially starts on the tenth of September and the equinox lies on or close to September 21st. The nearest full moon to the equinox is called a harvest moon. It is usually very large, orange or yellow when it lies close to the horizon. Occasionally it is haloed, when it is well known for casting an eerie light across cornfields.
In woods there is a new sweet smell of decay, especially after warm rain and many brightly coloured fungi are starting to make their first appearance. Largely going unnoticed, mammals are spending most of their time feeding, building up their reserves for the lean times ahead. Some birds such as jays may be seen burying
acorns for the same purpose. Mature eels have now started moving down the Thames towards the sea to spawn thousands of miles away in the Sargasso Sea. Many of our summer warblers are either leaving or have already left and are now being replaced by new visitors as the great autumn migration starts to gather momentum. The loss of these warblings, as well as a general decline in the hum of insects, means September is quieter than the preceding months. It is especially well known for its periods of stillness. Cooler temperatures leads to more condensation and short-lived ‘lakes’ of early morning mist lying over open fields.
It is another good month to enjoy walking along rivers where the sound of the water stands out a little more than usual against the general silence and there are still many waterside flowers to be seen. Wilder areas along the estuary are also worth visiting especially at high tide to see any congregations of recently arrived waders which may also occasionally indulge in aerial displays. Blackberries are at their best and greatly enjoyed by wild animals and Londoners alike.
Later in the month it will only be fungi that are enjoying them. For all these reasons many people prefer September over all the other months. A warm spell at the end is always referred to as an Indian summer, the phrase originating from native Americans who collected and stored food in much the same way as animals do now to get them through the winter.
