Autumn in the Seven Valleys
Do you have a favourite season?
With Winter just around the corner, I was reflecting on all the seasons…. Autumn in the Seven Valleys is magical!
The leaves are falling quickly this year, covering the ground in a crunchy carpet of rich reds, burnt oranges and vibrant yellow leaves. All our open gardens were spectacular. The trees have been a riot of colour, especially at Blast Furnace Park.
Everyone enjoys the Blast Furnace Park for both the amazing history of the Iron and Steel Works, and the great walking paths through the ruins and around Lake Pillans Wetlands.
Along with the leaves falling, and the temperatures cooling, the local wildlife is out and about, foraging for food, and eating as much as possible to provide stored energy to help them survive Winter.
Check out this little visitor to our garden last week!
This young Echidna waddled through the garden, foraging for ants, earthworms and beetles. I was amazed to learn that Echidnas can live for around 45 years, with young Echidnas known as Puggles.
They have a very slow metabolism and their body temperature is the second lowest out of all the mammals. Echidnas are Ecosystem Engineers too!
They spend a huge amount of time digging and moving dirt – an average of 200 cubic metres of soil each year! Pretty good for healthy soil, reducing erosion and leading to better plant growth. These prickly little creatures are Monotremes, a unique egg laying mammal!
I think we can learn a lot from these environmentally minded little guys.
As the temperatures are forecast to plunge even further, I wonder how long it will be before we have our first big snowfall?
I hope everyone has got their winter woollies ready!
