The Nature of Scotland – Autumn 2011 – Issue 13

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Wild
calendar
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Autumn colours come
from the breakdown of
starches to sugars and
other compounds in
leaves. Isn't organic
chemistry beautiful?
Kenny Taylor gives some
seasonal tips for savouring
Scottish wildlife and
landscapes
Perhaps you can't name a precise date when
autumn begins, when the swallows have gone
and the evenings darken. But you'll sense it in
the air, as flocks of birds swirl in from across the
seas; as birches, aspens and rowans spark a
thousand shades of fire in native woods; as the
hills ring with the roaring of red deer stags. Days
are shorter now, but the pleasures of the Scottish
scene can be all the sweeter.
Small wonders
Mention autumn colours, and most people will think of
broadleaved trees. But focus only on trees and you could
miss a forest of other possibilities at a much smaller scale.
Look down, below knee height, and choose contrasting
locations to savour the breadth of autumn colours. In a
native pinewood, such as the ones that skirt the Cairngorm
Mountains in both Deeside and Strathspey, look for dwarf
shrubs. Blaeberry plants here drop their leaves for winter.
They turn many tints of scarlet before they fall.
On saltmarshes, such as those that flank many parts of
Scotland's firths, look for the blobby, semi-transparent stems
of glasswort. These too can flush with autumn tints.
Out on the hills, stems of deer grass can look superb
in October and November, each tussock a freeze-framed
explosion of firework gold. And if you're really lucky, you
might find some dwarf willows on a mountainside, leaves
turning tawny on stems that barely rise to your ankle.
Broadleaves, Jim, but not as you've known them...
Web tip: www.mountainwoodlands.org
www.snh.gov.uk 5