Bask in the beauty of our Kildare autumn colours

The colours within the habitats around our communities are changing as autumn continues.

The most obvious change for many of us are the leaves that are gathering around our doors and footpath edges, as the deciduous trees in our communities slowly withdraw nutrients from their leaves and allow them to fall to the ground. During the summer, these leaves brought many shades of green to our communities as they photosynthesised making food for the tree.

Now they are bringing autumn tones of yellows, oranges and reds to our communities. The bright vibrant colours of yellow, blues and pinks from Ireland’s wildflowers, which during the summer we enjoyed on our evening and day time walks along the canals, rivers, hedgerows and grassland habitats, have now disappeared.

The colours of Ireland’s wildflowers have now been replaced with the autumn shades of cream coloured seed heads that are gently being dispersed in the wind.

Your local bogland habitats are also changing colour to their winter browns. Most bogland plants retreat beneath the wet surface of the bogland to protect themselves from the freezing winter conditions ahead.

On closer inspection of the winter bogland colours, you will find brighter tones including the red along the slender leaves of common cottongrass, the bright orange erect seed heads of bog asphodel and the greens, yellow and reds of the carpet of Sphagnum mosses.

All of these changing colours are triggered by the changing daylight hours and the cooler autumn temperatures are signalling to the plants around us that winter is approaching, and it is time to hibernate for another year.

While our wild animals don’t change colour during autumn, the autumn leaves do provide a perfect hibernation blanket for some including our hedgehogs!

Take time this week to appreciate the autumn colours of your community soon, as they too will disappear for another year. Why not even consider making a leaf pile in your garden creating a winter habitat for the hibernating hedgehogs, frogs, shrews and mini-beasts.

If you would like help identifying a wildlife observation in your community you can contact me on bogs@ipcc.ie.

Nuala Madigan of the Bog of Ireland Nature Centre, Lullymore