Autumn approaches

So it's getting a little chillier, a little wetter, a little darker; the seasons are rolling through their cycle. It's time to feed the bees, make sure there are plenty of stores to keep them safe throughout the winter.

Pumpkins and unusual squashes are beginning to appear in the stores and farm shops. Warming soups and stews are increasingly on the dinner menu.

Honey bees on helenium flowers

It's been incredibly rainy. But interspersed with this inclement weather there has been some lovely sunny spells. The fungi are thriving on the damp woodland floor.

The berries on the Whitebeam shine bright red against the blue sky. And the ivy is in flower, tempting many flower visitors, including the rather pretty Ivy bee.

The gorgeous ivy bee, Colletes hederae, is a species of plasterer bee.

The leaves shine pretty hues of red, yellow and brown.

If you go down to the woods today...I guarantee it'll be pretty peachy!