A very bedraggled brown meadow can still produce a final burst of colour as we move into October but most of that colour is to be found around its edges and in the copses of trees. As the nights grow colder, the leaves of the hedgerow plants are changing from green to beautiful autumn shades of gold, pink, mauve and red. Even on a dull afternoon the leaves have a glow to them and on a sunny day their colours become even more intense.

Spindle - yellow phase	Spindle - red phase

One of the most spectacular displays in early October is produced by the fruits of the Spindle, hanging in heavy clusters from the branches. There has been a particularly fine display of the plump, pink berries this year and as the Spindle leaves turned from green to yellow and then to red they have really stood out along the edges of the meadow.

Red Clover	Lady's Bedstraw

In the centre of the meadow most things have now finished flowering but some plants are still refusing to admit that summer is over and are sending up bright, fresh blooms among the dead foliage. I found one brave stem of yellow bedstraw, several patches of small red poppies, quite a bit of yarrow and a liberal scattering of red clover.

Many plants are still busy distributing their seed in various ways. The small green lantern pods of Musk Mallow turn brown and fall open to release their black seeds. Creeping Thistle seed heads look like small shaving brushes and launch their seed into the wind on little feathery parachutes. St. John’s Wort heads are a red colour, gradually drying and releasing small seed capsules.

 

Musk Mallow seed	Creeping Thistle shaving brushes	Creeping Thistle - seed taking off	St John's Wort

Wild Privet	Guelder Rose	Old Man's Beard

The seeds of many of the fruiting plants in the hedgerows are distributed by birds, which eat the berries and pass on the seeds in their droppings. Wild Privet is much in evidence, especially in the hedge behind the seating area, with spikes of glossy black berries. There are still some red Guelder Rose berries along the meadow edges. Also very prominent in the October hedgerows are the feathery seed heads of Old Man’s Beard, also known as Traveller’s Joy.

Fly on Yarrow	Ladybird on Lesser Knapweed

Insect life is now virtually absent. The crane flies have gone and the only insects I saw while taking the October photographs were one fly and a ladybird!

By the middle of October,

Fallen Glory

as we get stronger winds and more frequent rain, the brightly coloured leaves are already beginning to fade and fall from the trees and hedgerow shrubs, briefly colouring the ground in a last defiant show before the arrival of the shorter, duller days of November.

 

Featured Plant - Spindle or Spindle-Tree (Euonymus europaeus)

Spindle Fruit

A native, deciduous shrub or small tree, found in woodland, scrub and hedgerows, mainly on chalky soils. It has small, greenish-white flowers in early summer and produces four-lobed, bright pink fruits, 10-15mm wide, in autumn. As these ripen they burst open and release orange coloured seeds. Yellow dye can be obtained from boiling the seed casings, or green dye by adding alum.
Alternative names include Fusanum, Fusoria, Skewerwood, Prickwood, Gatter, Pegwood, Prickle Tree, Needle Tree, Pincushion Shrub, Hot Cross Buns (referring to the shape of the fruit), Spoke Wood and Lance Wood. The name Gatter comes from the Anglo-Saxon words gad meaning “goad” and treow meaning “tree”. The Latin name is thought to derive from the Greek words eu meaning “good” and onoma meaning “name”. Europaeus simply means “European”.

The wood is very hard and used to be used for making spindles and skewers, hence its common name. In old herbals it is often called Prickwood, referring to its use for toothpicks. It makes a very fine, smooth charcoal, much used by artists, which has also been used in the manufacture of gunpowder. In mainland Europe it was made into pipe stems.

All parts of the plant are poisonous, with strong emetic and purgative properties.
Medicinally it has been used as a stimulant, a laxative and an emetic, particularly in treating problems of the liver. It contains a resin called Euonymin, reputed to stimulate the appetite and the flow of gastric juices when taken in small doses. It is said that the leaves from one species of the shrub are eaten by the Arabs to promote alertness. It was also believed that carrying a sprig of the plant would protect a person from plague.