A cluster of families blackberrying, a pair of squirrels gathering acorns, a party of mistle thrushes swooping down on rowan berries, these are the 'fruits' of autumn. The early days of a new football season when the sound of a Wembley final is imagined by the fans of the humblest club, the first night of a long-awaited West End musical, these, too, are the 'fruits' of autumn. Central to this season of many and varied delights is the gathering-in, the harvest. It is a time for people to squirrel away fruits and nuts for jams, puddings, pickles, pies and wines. It is a time for animals and birds to gather these same fruits and nuts for their survival. For creatures of the hedgerows, forests and gardens, the 'fruits' of autumn have to last until spring.

Horse chestnut: Fruit and leaves of the horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum. Blackberry: Fruit and leaves of the bramble, Rubus fruticosus agg. Hazel: Nuts and leaves of the filbert, Corylus maxima. Rowan: Fruit and leaves of the mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia. Pear: Fruit and leaves of the pear, Pyrus communis 'Doyenné du Comice'.