Many people travel to North America in autumn to see the wonderful colours of “New England in the Fall”. In Britain our annual autumnal display may not be quite as spectacular or dramatic, but we get just the same wonderful range of hues on a smaller scale. Leaves contain pigments called Chlorophyll, Carotene, Anthocyanins and Tannins and the colours we see in leaves are the result of a combination of these pigments and the weather conditions working on them. Chlorophyll absorbs sunlight to make sugars out of water and carbon dioxide, thus feeding the tree, a process called photosynthesis. Warmer weather and more sunlight in spring and summer mean that we see more green than any other colour in those seasons. As the hours of daylight shorten and temperatures get cooler, photosynthesis slows down, so that other colours start to appear. Carotene is present in the leaves all year round, but is masked by chlorophyll – incidentally, it is also present in carrots, egg yolk, bananas and canaries! With the decline of chlorophyll, carotene takes over and we start to get the yellow and orange colours of autumn. The beautiful red leaves come from Anthocyanins, which are produced in autumn from an increased concentration of sugar as photosynthesis slows down. The level of redness depends on a combination of the amount of sunlight and the temperature. The best colours are produced by a dry late summer followed by a dry, clear and bright autumn with cool nights. Tannins are the slowest to break down and produce brown colours from the waste products in the leaves. Trees with a very high tannin content turn straight from green to brown.

All the well-known fashion houses like to be the first with new shades and designs for the season, but when it comes to autumn colours and styles, Nature definitely got in there first with the premier collection!

At the more subdued end of the spectrum there are the creams, greys and browns, seen here in the seed head of Creeping Thistle, a Wild Rose stem and the leaves of a small Beech tree. Most of the brown Beech leaves remain on the tree all through the winter, only falling when the new green growth appears in spring.

Elder	Spindle Berries

The pink shades of the autumn collection are more dusky, often with a purplish tone. Elder leaves turn a very attractive purplish-pink in early autumn, one of the first colour changes. Spindle berries start out green, then go through the dusky pink stage before reaching their full vibrancy of shocking pink with orange centres!

Guelder Rose	Ivy

Next up on Nature’s catwalk is yellow, more often thought of as a shade of spring or summer, a vivid primary colour that glows even on the dullest of days and is especially vibrant when the sun shines through it. Some leaves turn from green to yellow and then on to red, while others contain a mixture of all these colours in the same leaf.

"Tree candle"	Virginia Creeper
Bramble	Wayfaring tree

There is usually a grand finale to every fashion collection, saving the best till last, and Nature is no exception. The reds in this collection are unashamedly hot and flamboyant, flaming out among other trees like candles, even when the sun isn’t shining. In smaller, less impressive plants the red leaves are just as eye-catching. Virginia Creeper turns gradually, a few leaves at a time, from green to a vivid red, often climbing up the side of a building or a wall. There is no Virginia Creeper in the meadow, but it can be found in the covered seating area by Duffy’s Coffee Shop and has been a beautiful red colour already this autumn. Bramble leaves turn a wide variety of different colours and sometimes one single leaf spray turns bright red or yellow while the rest of the plant is still green. The little round leaves of the Wayfaring Tree can also make a splash of colour in the hedgerows around the meadow and Guelder Rose foliage turns from the bright yellow seen above to a deep red as shown in October’s Featured Species.

In Reg’s Meadow most of the autumn colour is found on the trees around the hedges and in the copses, but there is still some colour among the dying vegetation in the middle of the meadow. These two photographs show a selection of leaves all gathered on the same day at the beginning of October. The whole range of colours found in Nature’s Autumn Collection can be seen there, from green right through to brightest red – so who needs to go all the way to New England for the season’s colours? Reg’s Meadow is up there with the best!

A biennial plant, native to Europe, Wild Carrot is a member of the Carrot family (Umbelliferae) and is the wild ancestor of the cultivated or “tame” carrot as the 17th century herbalist Culpepper charmingly calls it! It is widespread and common in dry grassland, on sunny banks and sea coasts, especially on chalky soils, and flowers from June to September. It grows to a height of 8 to 40 inches, (20 to 100 cm) and has ridged, roughly hairy stems, thin white fibrous roots and compound, divided, fern-like leaves.

Pink Variant	Large Outer Petals
Circle of Bracts	Closed Flower Head

The flower heads, or umbels, are made up of dense clusters of small white flowers, each having five petals, the outer petals of each cluster sometimes larger than the inner petals. There is often one deep red or purple sterile flower in the centre of the flower head, which is believed to attract insects to the plant. The flower heads are usually concave, but can also be flat or slightly domed. Coastal plants are sometimes very short and often have a strongly domed shape. This plant can be easily identified from others of the same family as it has a feathery ruff-like circle of bracts below the flower head. When flowering is coming to an end and seeds are forming, the flower head changes shape and closes upwards, packing the inner flowers and seed inside.

Alternative names include Queen Anne’s Lace, Laceflower, Bee’s Nest, Bird’s Nest, Bird’s Nest Weed, Crow’s Nest, Fiddle, Pig’s Parsley, Hilltrot, Keggas, Keks, Cax, Rantipole, Devil’s Plague (USA), Yarkuki, and Djarne Racene. Devil’s Plague is a name referring to the fact that the plant, introduced in America, is now considered a real nuisance by farmers. The names Bee’s Nest and Bird’s Nest refer to the flower head when it closes, as it is often used for shelter by insects. In our meadow the closed-up heads frequently contain earwigs and sometimes ladybirds. The wife of King James the First, Anne, was a prolific lace-maker, and is the origin of the name Queen Anne’s Lace, a name also sometimes given to other plants of this family which have a lacy appearance.

The scientific name Daucus is thought to come from the Greek daukos or dais which means “to burn”, possibly referring to the root’s pungent taste. The specific name carota comes from the Celtic meaning “red in colour”.

There is archaeological evidence of Wild Carrot being eaten as long ago as 2000BC. It is thought to have originated in Afghanistan and to have come to Europe in the 8th – 10th centuries. In Greek and Roman times carrots were still white and fibrous like the wild ones and Wild Carrot is thought to have only reached England during the 17th century, brought by Spanish refugees. Ladies in the court of James the First wore wild carrot leaves in their hair for decoration. In folklore it was said to be a plant of the planet Mercury, and the seeds believed to increase fertility and cure impotence. Legend said that the single central red flower was a spot of blood from Queen Anne’s finger, which she pricked while making lace. St Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, is the patron saint of lace makers. Eating the central red flower was said to prevent epilepsy, while eating the carrot or its seeds would enable one to see in the dark.

Research has shown that the medicinal properties of Wild Carrot are stronger than those of cultivated varieties. Carrots are a rich source of carotene, converted by the body into Vitamin A, which increases the sensitivity of the eyes. Poultices made from the roots were used to ease the pain of ulcers, and leaves, applied with honey, eased sores and ulcers. Wild Carrot has also been used to treat dropsy, kidney and bladder problems, worms and jaundice, as well as many conditions involving flatulence! Modern pharmaceutical research has shown it to be effective against cataracts, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

In Germany dried roots were used as a coffee substitute, and in England, France and Germany they were made into alcohol. A yellow dye can be obtained from the flowers and stalks when mixed with alum and the plant has been used in cattle feed. Carrot juice from wild and cultivated varieties is also used in the making of perfumes.

A very useful plant, much in evidence in Reg’s Meadow, where it takes a wide variety of shapes and colours, especially in autumn. Here are photographs of just a few of those, all taken within a few days at the beginning of October.