Juanita Browne: Gorgeous and practical autumn brings a riot of colour to native woodlands

Deciduous leaves are typically thin and would be damaged by freezing weather so the tree 'decides' to drop them each Autumn and go for a fresh start in the Spring

The earliest use of ‘fall’, the more common American name for this season, dates back as early as the 1500s. ‘Fall’ is thought to originate from the phrase ‘the fall of the leaf’, referring to the time of year when deciduous trees shed their leaves

I’ve always loved a good time-lapse film clip. I especially enjoy time-lapses of trees changing through the seasons — where filmmakers use a fixed camera position to track the changing appearance of a tree or woodland scene, to capture the transformation spring buds, flowers and young bright leaves, to the deep greens of summer; the yellows and reds of autumn, and the exposed skeletal branches of winter. 

Maybe it’s simply satisfying to watch — like those oddly satisfying TikTok videos we can’t explain. Or perhaps there’s some deeper link with admiring nature and the changes of the seasons.