At 11.15 on November 10th 2018, I looked out of our living room window at our garden and the fields beyond. The sun was shining out of a cloudless sky and it looked so nice that I took this photograph:
I was sitting in my armchair the following Saturday when I had the idea to take another photograph so that I could compare it with the one I took the week before to see how autumn was progressing. This is it:
In case you're wondering, yes it is always sunny in Wavendon. The change was noticeable and consequently, I decided to take a photo of the same view at 11.15 every Saturday morning for a year.
It was a decision that caused us some problems. With a such a commitment, it was impossible to be away at the weekend and that caused some tension. It was with some reluctance that I agreed to a fortnight in France in August.
Before we left, I spent an hour instructing an understanding and helpful neighbour on precisely where to stand and exactly how to frame the two shots he agreed to take for me while we were away. He made a very good job of it and I am very grateful.
There are 52 weeks in a year and eight days ago on November 2nd, I took the fifty second photo. Job done!
But, it wasn’t done because yesterday, November 9th, I took one more. I expected it to look very much like the one that started it all. It doesn’t.
Does it?
I Googled, “Why do leaves turn brown in autumn?” and found five different articles and they all said more or less the same thing.
The main causal factor, apparently, is the length of daylight hours. In autumn, the days become shorter and production of chlorophyll slows and eventually stops. Existing chlorophyll in the leaf breaks down and the green colour fades, turning them brown. The cooler temperatures play a part but it is daylight length that is most important.
The amount of daylight on specific dates is the same every year and so that can’t be responsible for the fact the leaves here are still very green this November. It must be the temperature. Was October this year warmer than last year? Back to Google.
October 2018, Average October temperature: 11.1 °C
October 2019, Average October temperature: 10.2 °C
October this year was actually colder than last year and so it would seem that autumn should be more advanced but it isn’t. Why?
If it isn’t the daylight hours or the temperature that has caused it, there’s only one thing it can be:
B R E X I T
Loved the blog as usual. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIn New York the ‘leaf season’ is quite a lot shorter than in the UK. But daylight hours are longer, being further south, and the sun is also brighter in the fall.
Not sure about effect of differences in rainfall