We have been enjoying one of the most spectacular autumns I can ever remember; almost rivalling the autumn colours in New England, America. Sadly due to pressure of work on my forthcoming book and preparing for my annual Petersfield talk, I just missed taking my camera out in time to catch the acers before they lost their leaves; what a fantastically glorious sight they made; breath-taking reds, yellows and oranges, shining with spiritual radiance. However, I did manage to sneak out earlier this week to take a few pictures before we had a bucket load of rain and swirling winds stripping the leaves off the branches. As always, the camera so often frustratingly fails to see what the eye sees.
There is a wonderful narrow lane close to where I live that at this time of year is a blaze of trees turning colour. These are ancient beech woods dating back some hundreds of years. In Celtic mythology, Fagus was the god of beech trees. Beech leaves were thought to have medicinal properties and were used to relieve swellings, and boiling the leaves could make a poultice. Forked beech twigs are also traditionally used for divining, as are hazel twigs.
Beech woodland makes an important habitat for many butterflies, particularly in open glades and along woodland rides.
The seeds are eaten by mice, voles, squirrels and birds and if you are lucky you might find the much sought after culinary delicacy, the native truffle fungi growing in beech woods.
As these trees live for so long (up to several hundred years) they provide habitats for many deadwood specialists such as hole-nesting birds: woodpeckers, owls, and nuthatches with their smart apricot chests - also wood-boring insects.
Leaves falling from the trees represents the hundreds of thousands of brave young men who fell in the First World War never to rise again - the War to end all Wars, they said. I like to think that they did not die in vain and that maybe one day, our human race will see sense and understand the futility of conflict, and we will see permanent peace on this precious and wonderful planet.
The book that I am writing with my long-time friend and scientific guru, Jim Lyons, has at last got a publication date. It will be on sale in the US from the 22nd June 2019 and very shortly afterwards in the UK. I will have it for sale on my website. I do hope you will enjoy it. It covers different aspects of this phenomenon not previously discussed and I believe it will bring a new and much needed level of understanding and credibility to the subject. Also it will include many of my photographs.
As always the time seems to hurtle by at a most alarming rate and before we know it, Christmas will have arrived; so please don’t forget to order your calendars whilst I still have some in stock; they are selling fast and always make fantastic and unusual presents with thought-provoking quotations and plenty of room to make notes in the calendar page. In addition, it is the ONLY calendar containing the fabulous Martinsell Hill Formation.
Thinking even further ahead, I will soon be putting up dates for my 2019 crop circle tours as I have had confirmation of my private entry evening booking from Stonehenge. The tickets are like gold dust to obtain but luckily as a regular customer, I am allowed advance early booking, but I need to apply in August/September for the next year.
I will write again before Christmas.
With my love and best wishes
Lucy.
PS. I have had a request from a member living in Mid Coast, Maine. US, who is not able to get around as he once did. He would love to get in touch with anyone who is interested in this or other unusual subjects who are living in the area. If you know of anyone who might fit the bill, please let me know and I will give you his address.