A Seasonal Celebration of the Land, Garden & Nature

Hedgerow Fruits. Seasonal Shift. Tomatoes & Chillies. Earth. Softening. Apples & Pears. Equinox. Cobnuts. Golden Hues. Spiderwebs. Wasps. Asters & Grasses

Issue 30 September 2020

Mabon

The Autumn Equinox

Today, 22 September 2020 is the Autumn Equinox. The point in the year when the hours of light equal the hours of dark. It is now officially Autumn.

 

The signs have been there for a while - cooler mornings, mists, spiders and cobwebs, ripe berries, acorns, leaves starting to turn, ploughed fields, migrating birds, apples and last weekend I found the first conkers!  The colours of the land are changing to warm hues, browns, oranges and russets. The growing is slowing. It's mellowing now.

 

In years gone by the harvest would be in and the work of the year over. The Autumn Equinox and the pagan festival of Mabon, were all about celebrating and giving thanks. We can still do that today, even if we're not directly working on the land.

It might be the summer's end but it's time to celebrate achievements and be thankful for abundance. I like to celebrate by using seasonal produce to make hedgerow jellies and jams. The proportions of crab apples, elderberries, blackberries, quince, rowan berries and haws vary according to what I find growing. All the preparing, stirring and sieving gives plenty of time for reflection and gratitude for the good parts of the year. 

After today the sun will rise later and set earlier. The days will get shorter until we reach the Winter solstice towards the end of December. 

Try and get outside if you can during the hours of September light and enjoy the changing colours of Autumn. 

Interesting fact: The word Equinox derives from the Latin for equal (Aequus) and night (nox).

 

I'll be back next week with more September highlights but in the meantime I'd love to hear what you spot and/or photograph.

If you have any questions you can reach me via my website www.plotgardendesign.co.uk follow/like PLOT Garden Design on social media to receive my seasonal updates and photos.

Keep well, breathe and remember to look outside and notice the details.