Autumn is the season of intense and vibrant change. It brings darker and cooler nights, dew-soaked meadows, and foggy mornings that make the spider webs glisten. Its beauty is personified as we kick golden leaves along the pathways and toss helicopter seeds in the air to watch them spin to the ground. Autumn is a season to be enjoyed as mother nature changes her colour palette and invites us into her cosy arms so we can slow down and appreciate the world she has created for us.
There are so many ways we can explore and enjoy this season as we say goodbye to summer and head towards winter.
Visit the Countryside
Talk a walk through the countryside (being careful not to trespass) and try to figure out how old the hedgerows are. See if you can identify the bird species you spot flying in and around the verges. While you are there, take out a sketch pad and pencil. Draw or sketch a variety you think you are familiar with. Then, as you watch them fly from one side of a field to another, you may be surprised by the subtle intricacies of a bird you see daily, which you didn’t spot before.
Grow Saplings
We may think of spring and summer as the ideal time to plant seeds, but autumn may be better when it comes to growing trees. You can grow saplings by collecting seeds from under trees such as acorns and hazelnuts and sow them using yoghurt cartons with a mixture of compost and sand.
If You Go into The Wood Today
Woodlands are incredible examples of the changing season as the deep gold and red of autumn takes hold. The changing light as the sun travels creates a glint and shine on the forest floor, making it a perfect time to walk in the fresh, crisp air. While making your way along the forest floor, watch for wildlife and keep an eye out for tracks, listen to birdsong, and go foraging for hazelnuts, sweet chestnuts, and crab apples.
Make a Nature Table
Nature tables were once assigned to the classrooms as teachers shared lessons on the changing seasons but bringing nature into our homes is a way to show our love and understanding for this energetic and colourful period. So from your nature walks, as you explore forests or even your back garden, bring autumn into your home. Create a mood board on your sideboard, on your kitchen table, or in your entry hallway. Pinecones, gourds, chestnuts are all hallmarks of this time of year and look beautiful on display.
Go Wild
Ireland is an open canvas at any time of the year, but there is a magic attached to autumn. So go wild and explore the island as far and wide as possible to take in the stunning array of a season in desperate want of being investigated. From the Wicklow Mountains to the Aran Islands, from the Sligo Coast to the Glens of Antrim, autumn whisks up a cool wind and brings you through a poetic landscape of rich hues. With the rutting of the deer in Killarney and the baby grey seals in Cork, autumn in Ireland awaits to be explored.
