The weather was unseasonably warm for our October ramble, when a convivial group of us enjoyed looking out for the colourful leaves, fruits and berries of the season. Between us we were able to identify everything.

 There were also lots of field mushrooms on the grassy track - the warm damp weather being perfect for them. The most dramatic leaves were those of a garden ‘Smoke Bush’ ( Cotinus coggygria), glowing fiery red, overhanging Cheyney’s Lane. The wild shrubs and trees were mostly more subtle shades of gold and yellow,  and were decorated with rose hips as well as some very late blackberries. Country lore has it that the Devil spits on the blackberries at Michaelmas, so after that you eat them at your own risk!

 We returned to the Village Hall for tea and homemade cake, and then swapped seeds which had been collected and donated by several supporters - thank you to them. The seeds were wild and garden varieties, all good for pollinating insects, and included some bags of mixed seed from a thriving wildflower meadow. We’ll look forward to seeing them growing in our gardens next year.