Crop Corner

October is the month where everything changes. The onset of Autumn, showing the signs of change last month, is now in full swing. The clocks change, making an obvious difference to the hours of daylight and shifting the time of sunset considerably. The countryside explodes into colour while all of a sudden the heating needs turning on and a trip down to the local supermarket is needed for a supply of light bulbs. It is the time of year when things start to become difficult for the wildlife in the countryside. Not yet desperately difficult, but certainly harder than they have been through the plentiful time of the late summer and earlier part of Autumn. The berries, abundant a few short weeks ago, have mostly disappeared along with most of the nut harvest, hidden if not devoured. Thankfully, the migratory species have mostly now departed, relieving some of the strain, but for a good part, others have replaced them from further north, looking for somewhere to spend their winter!