From bluebells to willow warblers, spring is a time of awakening for wildlife. Dr Mark…
Darker nights are drawing in and nature’s slowing down for the season, but there’s still plenty to wonder at this autumn. Karl Horne, from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, shares his guide to the flora, fauna and fungi you can spot in the UK this season.
Fauna to spot this autumn
Fieldfare
Fieldfare is a thrush species of northern and eastern Europe that begins to appear in the UK from as early as August. The flocks continue to arrive throughout autumn into early winter, with peak numbers being reached around late October to November. They’re large, long tailed and striking thrushes with a distinctive call and unique colouring. You can identify them by their slate grey heads with dark eyes, reddish-brown backs, orange-buff chests, white bellies and black tails. They’re gregarious birds that can be found in farmland and open fields, often seen in large mixed flocks with redwing. Small numbers of both redwing and fieldfare nest in the UK each year.
Redwing
Redwings predominantly visit the UK in autumn to winter, arriving from September onwards. Two races of this species migrate here, with birds from Iceland spending winter on the west coast, and birds from Scandinavia wintering on the east. They’re common but shy birds and can be found in parks, woodland edges and open countryside. Redwings have dark brown backs, wings and tail feathers, with streaked breasts, similar to the resident song thrush. When seen close-up, their prominent white eye stripe is distinctive, and the rusty-red feathers are visible against the margins of their wings. When seen in flight, however, the fullness of the warm, tawny-red underwing and breast feathers distinguish this bird from the other UK thrush species.
Redwings have dark brown backs, wings and tail feathers, with streaked breasts, similar to the resident song thrush. When seen close-up, their prominent white eye stripe is distinctive, and the rusty-red feathers are visible against the margins of their wings. When seen in flight, however, the fullness of the warm, tawny-red underwing and breast feathers distinguish this bird from the other UK thrush species.
Flora to spot this autumn
Bittersweet
Bittersweet is a common plant throughout lowland areas in England, though it’s less likely to be found in the rest of the UK. A scrambling, woody perennial with attractive purple and yellow flowers, it may grow to two metres tall by using neighbouring plants as supports. It’s a plant found in hedgerows, woodland borders, scrub, fen-edges, and sand dune habitats. Also commonly known as ‘woody nightshade’, it’s closely related to the much less common ‘deadly nightshade’ in the UK. It’s sometimes mistaken for this, though both species are quite easily separated when compared closely. All parts of woody nightshade contain the poisonous alkaloid solanine, though it’s thought to be less toxic than some other members of this plant family. Bittersweet’s distinctive berries start out as green, moving through shades of yellow and orange, then finally ripening to bright red. This gives the appearance of ‘traffic lights’ when the various stages are on the plant at the same time. The berries can persist well into autumn.
Insert image Lords and ladies berries Amy Lewis
Lords-and-ladies
In early September, strange, club-shaped spikes of berries become conspicuous in woodlands and hedgerows across the UK. They’re the ripening berries of lords-and-ladies and may look rather odd to the amateur naturalist. This plant is native to the UK and is common and widespread in its distribution. It has a fascinating lifecycle, particularly during its flowering period earlier in the year, in April-May. At this time, the male part of the flower (the spadix) heats up slightly and releases a pungent odour of decay to attract small flies known as owl-midges, which it traps deep in its floral structures. Flies that enter become trapped temporarily by a ring of stiff bristle-hairs at the base of the spadix and their activity within helps to disperse male pollen to the small female flowers situated below. This pollinates the plant and enables the production of the berries. The flies either die or are released in the following days and move on to a different lords-and-ladies plants, where the process will be repeated.
Spindle
Spindle is a native shrub or small tree and can grow up to five metres tall. It’s a deciduous plant of scrub thickets, open woods and hedgerows, with a southern bias to its UK distribution. Its leaves start the year being a somewhat non-descript waxy-green with finely toothed edges. The four-petalled flowers grow in short clusters between May and June, when they wouldn’t really win any awards. However, the plant begins to ‘shine’ in October. In this month, the leaves vary between deep crimson and purplish-brown, and its coral pink fruits begin to develop and split to reveal the bright orange ‘arils’, containing white seeds which are much loved by hungry winter birds. The wood of this plant was once commonly used to make durable items, such as clothes pegs, meat skewers, knitting needles, and the ‘spindle sticks’ once used to spin woollen thread.
White bryony
White bryony is a widespread plant in most parts of lowland England, Wales and southern Scotland. It’s frequently found in hedgerows, scrub, copses and woodland margins. It has five-lobed leaves that look rather like the shape of human hands with their fingers spread out. It carries dainty greenish-white flowers from May until September, so you may still be able to spot them. Male and female flowers are carried on separate plants – male flowers are larger, and form stalked clusters, while the female flowers are very small and mostly unstalked. All parts of the plants are toxic – particularly the thick, white tuberous roots and berries – and contain the glycoside bryonin, which acts as a drastic purgative!
Fungi to spot this autumn
Fly agaric
This is the quintessential mushroom of early autumn. It has a bright scarlet cap with white scales, which are the remnants of the veil that covers the immature fungus before it opens. The white specks can be washed off by rain over time, leaving a uniformly scarlet cap. It commonly grows in association with birch trees from late summer to late autumn.
Parrot waxcap
This is a common species of urban grasslands (including sports fields and parks), lawns and heaths in autumn. It can be a spectacular fungus, with colours varying between green, yellow and blue. The slimy, glistening cap and stem of this species, combined with the colour, is a good indicator of its identity.
Shaggy inkcap
This is a mushroom commonly found in grasslands, road verges and parks in early autumn. It has a cylindrical white cap with a buff-coloured centre. The outer covering of the cap begins to break up into large, shaggy, brown-tipped scales, earning it another common name of ‘Lawyer’s wig’. The cap begins to deteriorate and break down, releasing a dark liquid which was at one time used as a substitute for ink, hence inkcap.
Velvet shank
Velvet shanks grow in dense clusters on dead deciduous trees and are particularly associated with elm. Their caps are tan coloured and develop into a darker centre. The tough and fibrous stems are yellow near the apex, but dark brown near the base, and have a velvety covering. This species can be seen throughout late autumn and winter and can even survive being frozen solid! Look out for them over the coming months.
Karl Horne is a Land Management Project Officer at The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside in Wigan. He was introduced to wildlife as a child when his grandad built him his first bird table. Karl worked in the building, landscaping and horticultural industries before studying countryside management.
Image credits
Image one copyright Jon Hawkins Surry Hills Photography, image two copyright John Cobham, image three copyright Amy Lewis, image four copyright Philip Precey, image five copyright Jon Hawkins Surry Hills Photography, image six copyright Vaughn Matthews.
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