What s happening in the countryside now that autumn is here

A.� The autumn equinox falls on 23rd September signalling the end of the summer and the beginning of many changes in the countryside.

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Q.� What animals can I look out for in autumn

A.� Swallows are out in force, feeding on insects as they build up their strength to gather together and fly south to enjoy a milder winter than those animals that stay behind. You can easily spot them thanks to their deeply forked tails with long streamers and their tendency to group on telegraph wires.

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To find out about non-migratory animals winter survival techniques, click here.

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Q.� What happens to hedgerows in the autumn

A.� The hedgerows burst into a rich array of reds and oranges this season as the haws, rose hips and rowans bushes produce their distinctive berries.

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But these brightly coloured berries aren't for our benefit, they're to attract birds to them. The berries are the bushes seeds. Once eaten the tough coated seeds pass through the bird's digestive system and are hopefully dropped somewhere where they can germinate in the spring.

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Q.� What are trees up to during autumn

A.� Apart from changing colour and loosing their leaves trees are also thinking ahead to next spring and producing seeds, familiar to us as nuts. The most obvious ones are those of the horse and sweet chestnuts, the beech and the hazel. These heavier seeds are reliant on small mammals and rodents to gather them up and drop them on hopefully faraway fertile ground.

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Keep your eyes peeled for lighter air born seeds of trees, like the ash and maple and the distinctive double winged sycamore seeds.

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Q.� Is there any interesting fungi to look out for in autumn

A.� Yes, one of the strangest in Britain, the bird's nest fungi, can be seen from September. This fungi is cup shaped, containing a group of egg shaped spore-producing formations. The cups fill with rainwater and then every time a drop of water splashes into them the spores are flushed out and disperse. They're tiny, the size of a drawing pin and you'll have to search among rotting twigs and leaves to find them.

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Have you got a question about seasonal variation

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by Lisa Cardy