As autumn arrives we always realise how much we love this time of year. The sadness of saying goodbye to summer is instantly alleviated by the rich colours of the woodland and welcome smells of woodsmoke and moss.
It’s also the sporting season for those who enjoy country pursuits, and the best time of year to bottle hedgerow wines and liqueurs.
Ready for battle: just before dawn, a fallow deer prepares to ward off other suitors. Britain’s red and sika deer also rut in the autumn
Double the delight: Autumn’s fire reflected in Grasmere in the Lake District
Listen out for the tawny owl’s calls, which are most frequent in the autumn as they establish their territories
Sycamore seeds wheel through the air
A hazel dormouse builds up its fat reserves for hibernation
A magnificent stand of beech trees
Conkers await picking up and schoolboy stringing
Our hedges are filled with fluffy white old man’s beard; the seedheads of Clematis vitalba, ready to be dispersed in the breeze
October's full moon – sometimes known as the Hunter’s Moon – arrives on October 5
11 of the best places in Britain to enjoy Autumn colour
A riot of autumnal splendour has broken out across the country.
Top five autumn recipes
Read our top five most popular autumn recipes using everything from elderberries to mushrooms in our autumn food recipe round
How to make Tarte Tatin and 'Apple Hat' pudding this autumn
Simon Hopkinson suggests two sumptuous apple puddings for autumn: tarte tartin and 'apple hat'.
10 tips on how to forage this autumn
Foraging is more popular then ever – Hetty Chidwick squares up to the squirrels and shares some top tips for
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'Knoll offers a masterclass in the adaptability of grass': The Dorset garden that went from tourist attraction to specialist nurseryTilly Ware visits Knoll Gardens in Dorset, which offers a masterclass in grasses and how to make your garden stay beautiful for longer.
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This converted mill is the epitome of bucolic beauty and its grounds were masterminded by one of the finest garden designers alive todayHunworth Mill is the very picture of bucolic bliss, with exquisite gardens created by Arne Maynard.
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Storm overflow plan 'needs flushing down the lavatory once and for all' say angling groups as perilous state of English rivers revealedThe recently published Cunliffe Report shows that 'waterways are suffering from chronic neglect, corporate greed and useless regulation'.
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From Queen bees to Queen Camilla, how one woman built a multi-million pound beauty empire out of bee venomDeborah Mitchell's skincare range has generated quite a buzz among celebrities including HRH and Victoria Beckham.
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‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’: Everything you didn't know about sparrowhawksScourge of the bird feeder and a master of ‘shock and awe’ assassinations, the sparrowhawk pursues its quarry with such tenacity and unpredictability that it often blindsides its prey.
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An ode to Britain's wildflowers, from the London bloom which grew in the craters of the Blitz, to the weather-predicting scarlet pimpernelDecorating the land with their brilliant and varied hues, our native flora which operate as clocks, calendars and Nature’s medicine cabinet are blooming brilliant, says John Lewis-Stempel.
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Levison Wood: Trekking the Nile, near-death experiences and why nothing beats a cup of tea and a piece of toastThe adventurer, explorer, writer and film-maker Levison Wood joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
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Is there enough beauty and hope left in the natural world to counter the current state of global despair?Trees are dying, our food is covered in chemicals and we are stuck in a deteriorating international security situation.
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Roger Morgan-Grenville: We need to reset our children's connection to nature — and it starts at schoolOur schools can — and must — lead the way in teaching the next generation the incalculable value of the natural world.
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The white-tailed eagle is crafty, controversial and has wings the size of a barn doorA penchant for spring lamb saw the raptor species ruthlessly exterminated, but the beguiling white-tailed eagle — also known as the sea eagle — is now back on our shores.
