The long autumn was finally blown to smithereens by this month's gales and frosty nights. Even oaks, often the last tree to lose their leaves, are looking bedraggled, but now that most trees have lost their foliage some of them can show off their seeds.
London plane trees are a fine sight with their balls of seeds dangling like baubles on a Christmas tree, and which will disintegrate in a few weeks' time to release their fine seeds. But it's worth keeping some distance away from the trees in windy weather – they have an alarming habit of shedding hefty branches.
It has been a good year for berries, thanks in a large part to the glorious hot spring. Holly trees and bushes have been smothered in bright red fruit, although hungry birds are devouring them so fast they are rapidly disappearing before Christmas, which is why commercial growers keep nets over their holly trees to protect the berries. There are still some fat, red berries among the hawthorns, though, and blackthorn bushes have their own blue-black berries known as sloes, which make delicious sloe gin.
Another great sight strewn over hedgerows are carpets of what at first sight looks like blankets of cotton wool, and which in frosty weather sparkle in sunshine like snow. These are clusters of the fluffy seeds of traveller's joy, also known as old man's beard or, best of all at this time of year, Father Christmas.
