Red!

I'd promised Rosie a decent walk, as she'd missed out for the last couple of days. We went up to Southey Wood, which, until February 2014, is only open at weekends because of timber extraction work. They're removing many of the planted conifers that are now mature, and are going to allow broad leaf regeneration, which should be good for wildlife, even if some parts of the wood look a bit of a mess at the moment.

The weather felt decidedly autumnal, but most of the native trees are staying stubbornly green. Luckily there are a few stands of Japanese maple Acer japonicum in the wood, which always provides some good early colour. Today this tree was positively crimson!