IMAGE OF THE MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2021

Hint of Autumn on a misty morning

Forecast was for still conditions and mist, so you have to be in position before the sun rises high enough to burn the mist off.  Getting the timing right for this shot to capture the leaves in golden yellow, can take years, mother nature decides when the autumn colour starts and finishes.  Too early, leaves still green, too late, leaves have blown off as is in an exposed spot, too windy, tree is blowing and the water is too rough.  The leaves have just enough of a hint of turning, and the mist arching over the tree, makes the scene. 

Silver birch provides food and habitat for more than 300 insect species – the leaves attracting aphids which provide food for ladybirds and other species further up the food chain. The leaves are also a food plant for the caterpillars of many moths.  

Woodpeckers and other hole-nesting birds often nest in the trunk, while the seeds are eaten by siskins, greenfinches and redpolls.