Summer seems very reluctant to make way for autumn on these islands. With an abundance of warm, sunny days, temperatures have been much higher than average. Yet again, it would seem Britain’s weather records are poised to be broken. October has seen a curious mix of wet and warm sunny weather, coupled with quite high temperatures. So warm has it been, that the UK is on course to break the previous warmest October since records began, way back in 1659. This is despite more severe flooding in parts of southern England, which is now becoming a more frequent and unwelcome feature for many.
My own garden has yet to experience any frost at all. I certainly cannot remember another October so mild; indeed frosts have often appeared by the first or second week of September, but not this year. In gardening terms, this has meant a much longer stay of execution than usual for many plants.
My hanging baskets of pelargoniums and fuchsias are still happily blooming, as are many other annuals all over the country. My clematis are also doing strange things. The later flowering viticellas are now putting on more growth and flowering again in response to all the sun and warmth. In addition the rosehip show is better than usual, this year the warm autumn has managed to ripen almost all of them for a change.
The wildlife of the garden too is enjoying this sunny, warm weather. The garden is rich in flowering ivy, which is proving to be a magnet for all sorts of insects for miles around. All the mature ivy is in full bloom and is probably the best wildlife shrub for any garden, if managed properly. At this time of year the flowers provide an abundance of nectar, which will be closely followed by valuable black berries at the turn of the year. Flowering so late, it is almost the last feeding opportunity for many insects, such as bees, wasps and butterflies, before winter.
About a week ago, I witnessed the first Brimstone butterfly of the garden. It was seen fluttering around the mass of ivy that grows on an old tree stump. It was not however concerned with any feeding, it was instead looking in all the nooks and crannies within the ivy for potential hibernation sites. Together with many Red Admirals and the odd Comma butterfly, the ivy’s charms are proving irresistible It’s at times like these that I feel very privileged to witness such intimate behaviour of wild creatures in my own garden. This autumn will indeed be remembered as the ivy autumn for me.
