By September the Horse-Chestnut trees (conker tress) have been showing signs of the changing season for several weeks,
already with their large palmate leaves browning at the edges like they have passed too near to a naked flame.
The Horse-Chestnut also yields up its seeds this month in the form of conkers which drop to the ground in their spiky green cases.
Other tree species such as Ash, Beech and Sweet Chestnut are also turning with tinges of yellow, orange and light green tinges.
Himalayan balsam, which has become a scourge of the river bank, is at its peak.
This invasive introduction has spread widely along river corridors and smothers everything in its path.
It is a tall pink flowered plant which may well be smelt before it is seen, as its pungent sweet sickly smell is powerful.
It spreads its seeds by way of explosive seed pods which project their contents for several feet, sometimes into the river itself.
It seems to like having its roots fairly wet.
Folklore says that Blackberries should not be picked after the 29th September the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel( St Michaelmas Day). He was the Angel who cast the devil out of Heaven. As he fell from the skies, he landed in a Bramble bush. He cursed the fruit of that prickly plant, scorching them with his fiery breath,stamping and spitting on them. As this curse is renewed annually on Michaelmas Day it is very unlucky to pick Blackberries after this date.
Many plants have or are setting seeds. Rosebay willow-herb plants are sending out fluffy seed umbrella like structures to carry the seed by the wind to a new location.
Fungi can be found throughout the year but a damp September and October will give rise to a multitude of fruiting bodies yielding billions of spores to spread the species far and wide.
