Time to make a record of Rotherham’s autumn

PEOPLE are being urged to record signs of autumn in their gardens, parks and woodlands to help a national survey highlight changes in the seasons.

The Woodland Trust wants people to contribute to its Nature’s Calendar survey so it can track changes across the nation.

The Trust records evidence of leaf tinting, ripening of fruits like blackberries and the departure of migratory birds like swifts and swallows.

Already in Yorkshire the Woodland Trust has received records of early tinting of leaves in Harrogate and Driffield, departing swifts in York and Sheffield and ripe elderberries in Thirsk and Leeds.

The Trust thinks that Autumn may be later than average this year and is appealing for more records for the longest running survey of seasonal change in the UK which has been running since 2000.

To take part in the Nature’s Calendar survey, go to woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods.

Dr Kate Lewthwaite, Woodland Trust citizen science manager, said: “Nature’s Calendar has records dating back to the 18th century but we receive far less information about Autumn than Spring so we’d really like to see more people take part and tell us what they see this year across Yorkshire.”