Learn about autumn
In autumn, the days get shorter. Trees prepare for winter by stopping the food-making process called photosynthesis. When this happens, the leaves' green colour (chlorophyll) fades away, and we can see colours like red, orange, and yellow hiding underneath
Unexpected guests
As the weather gets colder and wetter, you’ll notice that spiders, ladybirds, and crane flies (also known as “daddy long legs”) start to appear inside your house. They’re looking for a nice warm place to rest, and although they can give us a fright, they’re definitely more afraid of you than you are of them!
Helping the hibernators
We can do lots of things in the garden to help the animals that hibernate in the autumn and winter. These animals (who are called “hibernators”) need to eat lots of food and find a safe place to sleep through the cold and dark months
- We can set up bird tables with extra food (and don’t worry if you see some squirrels or other animals popping along for a look!)
- We can build bug hotels, giving bees, centipedes, ladybirds, and spiders a place to shelter
- We can make leaf piles, log piles, or heap up rocks as these will be a great winter home for insects, slugs, snails, and frogs
Autumn garden activities
The nights are getting longer, but there are still lots of things we can do in the garden!
- We can harvest fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots, onions, and runner beans
- We can plant bulbs like daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips which will flower in the spring
- This is the perfect time to collect seeds from plants like poppies or sunflowers, which we can use to grow more of our favourites
- We can put down sheeting in our garden to protect plants from the first frost and stop them from being damaged by the cold