Trees, woods and leaves
As autumn arrives it brings a chill wind, morning mists and a glorious symphony of colour to the north and east of the county, says Richie Baker
Published in November ’19
Hod Woods with the weak autumnal sunshine peeping through. Credit: Anthony Blake
From the moment in late September your car starts to get not yet fully formed acorns and conkers landing on it, you can just sense the seasons shifting. As November rolls around, the leaves will all have shed their spring and summer green finery and transmuted into a whole host of golden shades.
Summer in Dorset may be all about the beaches and hinterland of Purbeck, Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and the Jurassic Coast all the way to Lyme Regis, but as the seasons turn, it is the interior of the county that puts on the finest displays.
Whilst the British have yet to make a commercial practice of ‘leaf peeping’ as they do in New England, there are still some stunning displays of trees, woods and leaves available all over the county. Although the west of the county with its vineyards and formal gardens does a pretty good job of displaying autumn’s finery, it is especially in the North and East of Dorset that the best displays are to be found. Nowhere is this more evident than at Dorset’s two most spectacular tree-lined thoroughfares: Beech Avenue at Badbury Rings and the more classically symmetrical avenue at Moor Crichel.
It is not just on the trees that this season’s colours are at their colourful best; the downlands of North Dorset, especially around Melbury Abbas, also show the shifting season’s displays in terms of bracken against the still spring-like downland turf.
While fresh and dying colours exist in the more rural areas, mature trees in towns also put on a wonderful display, with their broad leaves decorating park paths and softening the harsh materials of man-made areas.
While the fresh curling leaves of new growth in spring has an uplifting effect when viewed against a blue sky, so too do those same leaves’ swan song in autumn. The crisp shapes of conker husks, and their rich brown kernels within, and the shiny bullets of acorns tumbling from the sky, contrast with crimson berries with which they provide much needed food for the overwintering wildlife. So take a wander into the woods, a stroll in the park and experience the sights and the soundscapes provided by rustling leaves in the freshening winds that sound the imminent arrival of winter.
A typical autumn scene as the mist envelops the Blackmore Vale. Credit: Anthony Blake
Different trees shed their leaves at different times to artistic effect. Credit: Roger Holman
Badbury Rings. Credit: Anthony Blake
Moor Crichel’s wonderful avenue in its autumn glory. Credit: Anthony Blake
Turning leaves contrast with fresh green grass at Melbury Abbas. Credit: Anthony Blake
Ferndown’s Millennium Park gets the autumn colour treatment. Credit: Kay Browning
Early morning colour at Canford Millstream. Credit: Roger Lane
