When does autumn start? Meteorologically, each season is a 3 month period and autumn is September, October and November. Astronomically, Earth's position relative to the sum is used to define seasons. So autumn begins around the Equinox on 21st September when days and nights are of equal length and ends on the winter solstice on 21st December, when daylight hours are shortest. A third method is based on phenology - the process of noting signs of change in plant and animal behaviour. Autumn starts when leave begin to change colour or ripe berries appear or winter migrant birds arrive.
In the Pinetum, we have plenty of ripe sloes, elderberries and blackberries, but leaves are not changing colour yet. We are on the cusp of summer morphing into autumn.
On the work party front, there has been a lot of maintenance, especially keeping paths and open spaces open. We decided that the lilac in Southern Meadow needed some rejuvenating, so have reduced its height and separated what is in fact two lilac shrubs to reveal the full length of the Incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) and its upswept branches when viewed from Southern Meadow.
We encourage people to visit and use the PInetum and so on 16th July, I was pleased to give a tour to a group of tutors from the University's health and social wok department, as part of their planning away day held at Bayfordbury.
Last month, one of our members asked if they could hold a charity yoga class in the PInetum to raise money for Nepal disaster relief. We were happy to agree and the class attracted some 20 people.
In the Pinetum, we have plenty of ripe sloes, elderberries and blackberries, but leaves are not changing colour yet. We are on the cusp of summer morphing into autumn.
On the work party front, there has been a lot of maintenance, especially keeping paths and open spaces open. We decided that the lilac in Southern Meadow needed some rejuvenating, so have reduced its height and separated what is in fact two lilac shrubs to reveal the full length of the Incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) and its upswept branches when viewed from Southern Meadow.
We encourage people to visit and use the PInetum and so on 16th July, I was pleased to give a tour to a group of tutors from the University's health and social wok department, as part of their planning away day held at Bayfordbury.
Last month, one of our members asked if they could hold a charity yoga class in the PInetum to raise money for Nepal disaster relief. We were happy to agree and the class attracted some 20 people.
