AUTUMN JOYS

Although it is colder and wetter, Autumn has some lovely weather, too, with cloudless blue skies when you can still feel the warmth of the sun. It is a season of stunning colour as the leaves display their reds, yellows and gold. I want to talk about autumn flowers today, though – not just the wild ones but also those we find blossoming in our gardens.

There are many late season blossoms, and they are of great importance to the insects that fly at this time of year (and we all know insects need all the help they can get these days). In turn, high insect populations help insectivorous mammals and birds put on the weight they need to support them through the winter months.

So, what wild flowers should you be able to find in our greenspaces in Autumn? Here is a list of ones to look out for (not exhaustive):

Autumn hawkbit (Scorzoneroides autumnalis). Yellow, dandelion-like flowers, often in grasslands and roadside verges.

Bell heather (Erica  cinerea) and other related species. On lime-free soils.

Clematis (late flowering varieties)

Common knapweed (Centaurea nigra). Meadows and roadside verges.

Devil's-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis). Purple-blue flowers – likes damp meadows and grasslands.

Gorse (Ulex europaeus). The flowers smell of coconut but watch out for the thorns!

Heather (Calluna vulgaris). Common on heaths and light soils with low pH.

Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium). Especially along road verges and paths.

Ivy (Hedera helix). Ivy flowers, while not spectacular, are a very important late-season nectar source for insects.

Michaelmas daisy (Aster novi-belgii). Can often be found in the wild although the cultivated kinds are better known and very showy.

Wild carrot (Daucus carota) White flowers in umbels that can continue blooming into autumn, commonly found in grasslands and meadows.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Clusters of small white (or sometimes pink) flowers, very common in grasslands.

Some spring and summer wild flowers can sometimes flower into Autumn, such as daisies, dandelions, clovers, buttercups, etc. Below are hogweed, heather, devil’s-bit scabious and gorse.

Our gardens, too, provide many flowers to supplement those in the wild. Indeed, gardens are probably the best place to see many of the most spectacular Autumn blooms. Here are just a few you should be able to see – there are many others:

Autumn crocus (photo above)

Cyclamen (C. hederifolium, etc.)

Fuchsias – the hardy ones

Ice plant (Hylotelephium spectabile)

Japanese anemones (Anemone hupehensis, Anemone x hybrida)

Michaelmas daisies (Aster spp and vars)

Nerines

Roses – some flower right up to Christmas

Rudbeckias

Snapdragons

Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans)

Violas

Below are ivy-leaved cyclamen, Japanese anemone and ice plant.

Betts Ecology, through our habitat management, encourage as many flowers as possible throughout the seasons on our sites. This helps our invertebrates in trouble and the insectivorous wildlife that prey on them.

All photos by the author © Betts Ecology