In autumn, the UK’s woodlands are filled with a riot of oranges, yellows and reds, as the leaves begin to change colour. Grab your walking gear, and head to your local wood or forest! Whether you want to look out for wildlife, or simply crunch through the fallen leaves, there’s something for everyone.
Autumn is a great time to see plenty of wildlife. At this time of year, most woodlands have a good variety of fungi, so keep your eyes out for mushrooms, puffballs and toadstools. Why not keep track of how many different mushrooms you can spot? Never eat mushrooms you find in the forest though.
There are plenty of different trees and leaves to look out for too – ash, beech, elder and oak trees will all show off their colours in autumn, and you can collect some conkers from the horse chestnut trees. To help you create your own outdoor adventure, click here to visit The Woodland Trust's Nature Detective website. It is packed full of fun information, and you can even download autumn spotting sheets, and use them to look out for different kinds of autumn wildlife.
Also keep a look out for winged plants such as the maple seeds - these are paired like helicopter blades and gracefully spiral to the ground as they fall.
The Woodland Trust has over 1000 woods, ideal for autumn walking. Click here to see a map of where their woods are.