Autumn Is Well And Truly Arrived

It was necessary for me to leave the house this afternoon to allow a potential buyer a chance to have a look around.  So I wandered down to the park to soak up the autumn glory.  Trees are beautiful all year round but its in the Autumn that I think they're at their most beautiful.  

As I walked, I could hear the crows in the trees - with their stark sounding call heralding a change in the season.

Despite it being Halloween and November tomorrow, it was unseasonably warm today and as I walked along, a beautiful Red Admiral butterfly danced around me.  I tried to capture it with my camera but it didn't want to stay still for long enough and I wasn't quick enough. I read that autumn Red Admirals are the offspring of the Red Admirals which arrive in mid-summer from the continent.  

And then I checked out the secret beehives.

They were fenced off and so I had to photograph them through the fence.  I've not seen as many bees around this summer and have been concerned that they are struggling, but I was very happy to see that all 4 hives had active populations flying in and out of their little front doors, using the last burst of warm, dry and calm weather to stock up their larders before tucking themselves in for the winter.

I guess we'll be doing the same soon as I've heard the temperature is going to drop quite noticably towards the end of the week.  Time to dig out my fluffy socks.