What to Spot in the Natural World When in the Woods this Autumn

Autumn is here once again, but rather than staying indoors and blasting yourself with central heating, why not wrap up in warm Aran Sweaters from Shamrock Gift and get the whole family out into the woods to explore all the fascinating natural things that you can see in these months?

Berries and fruits are now in abundance, and you might even want to pick some wild blackberries to make crumbles and jams from – but remember to leave plenty for the birds! You will also be able to see the dark purple sloes, perfect for sloe gin and the red hawthorn berries, the haws, which many people use for hedgerow jam. Don’t eat a berry that you aren’t sure of, as there are also many poisonous berries at this time of the year, but it is fun to spot all the different varieties around at this time of the year.

Trees are also releasing their seeds now and these come in many different shapes and forms. The acorns of the oak trees are beloved by squirrels, you may well also see the keys from the ash trees hanging down in large clumps. Hazelnuts are also in abundance and birds will be busily eating these, as well as the helicopter-like seeds from the sycamore trees. Not forgetting of course the conkers from the horse chestnut trees!