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Often a quiet time at LoughAllenBasin, this year has been a bit different. It has been a dry Autumn, particularly in September, with much warm weather and hardly any frost. This has allowed us to follow some of Lough Allen’s rare species, Irish Lady’s Tresses, into the Autumn. However, what has been spectacular is the richness of the harvest and of wild fruits and nuts. Even the grass is still growing like mad. To mark this we have collected 20 pictures below on the theme of Autumn Fruitfulness. Many of these are common plants and we have concentrated on just trying to present a beautiful view of this part of Lough Allen’s nature. Hope you enjoy!
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 Autumn
I have allowed my family to scatter,
All those who were my dearest to depart,
And once again an age-long loneliness
Comes in to fill all nature and my heart.
Alone this cottage shelters me and you:
The wood is an unpeopled wilderness
And ways and footpaths wear, as in the song.
Weeds almost overgrowing each recess;
And where we sit together by ourselves
The log walls gaze upon us mournfully.
We gave no promise to leap obstacles,
We shall yet face our end with honesty.
At one we'll sit, at three again we'll rise,
My book with me, your sewing in your hand,
Nor with the dawning shall we realize
When all our kissing shall have had an end.
You leaves, more richly and more recklessly
Rustle your dresses, spill yourselves away,
And fill a past day's cup of bitterness
Still higher with the anguish of today!
All this delight, devotion and desire!
We'll fling ourselves into September's riot!
Immure yourself within the autumn's rustle
Entirely: go crazy, or be quiet!
How when you fall into my gentle arms
Enrobed in that silk-tasselled dressing gown
You shake the dress you wear away from you
As only coppices shake their leaves down!-
You are the blessing on my baneful way,
When life has depths worse than disease can reach,
And courage is the only root of beauty,
And it is this that draws us each to each.
Boris Pasternak (Dr Zhivago)
We love this poem; it does refer to the Natural World and, then, to so much more that is dear to life. So, forgive us quoting it in full.
RIGHT:
A toadstool on the shore at Arigna looking out over a cool Lough Allen — a symbol of the changing seaons with all the Summer Flowers and Birds now gone and nature involved in breaking down old organic matters and generating seed or spores for future life.
The Photos:
The images below are just presented as 1 long list. They are neither huge or large files so they should load rapidly for you.
Our goal is to encourage people to go out into the wild at all times of the year... there is always soemthing to see and photograph. Most of these pictures have been taken around loughh Allen but the species shown are neither rare or even all native to Lough Allen. They are what you can expect to find in October if you look in some of the range of habitats that make Lough Allen such an interesting plant. Only, one specimen is from an island (the Bittersweet); all the rest are readily accessible.
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Bittersweet... found on Long Island off Cormongan
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The ubiquitous Hawthorn — food for many migrating Birds.
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Beautiful Sloes... something remarkable about these misty fruits of the Blackthorn.
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Alder Buckthorn, a little known native tree with a long fruiting spell in the Autumn.
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A Buff-tip Moth Caterplllar busily defoliating one of our Hornbeam trees.
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Crab Apples, the source of the delicious Crab Apple jelly, a different species from garden apples often found wild!
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It has been a stunning year for Blackberries, fruiting and ripening right through the Autumn.
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Big Fat acorns to keep the Squirrels and Pigs happy!
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Rose Hips...
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Guelder Rose, widespread but not widely known, with a mass of white flowers in Spring and gorgeous foliage in Autumn.
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Spindle, commonly found with Guelder Rose but overlooked except when carrying its large Lantern like fruits.
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The glorious Mountain Ash almost finished...
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Elderberry. The native variety is a very good wildlife tree and the berries (and flowers) are also used for Wine.
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Hazel Nuts, a very useful tree for both Man and Squirrels!
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Hornbeam, not a native but quite widely planted.
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Are you ready for Christmas? This Holly was in early October.
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The Chestnut — everyone’s favourite tree but it came originally from southern Europe.
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Coprinopsis lagopus, an Inkcap fungus found on wood chips, compost and horse dung.
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Cow Parsley seed head.
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