Autumn Colour Brings Joy to UK’s Growing Band of ‘Leaf Peepers’

Increasing numbers of people are discovering the pleasures of the turning of the seasons

The path above the pool garden at Knightshayes in Devon is one of the best vantage points on the estate to take in the colours.

As October marches on, the reds, yellows, purples and russets are beginning to deepen in hue and, when the clouds roll away, they gleam in the sunshine.

“It could be a really great autumn,” said the head gardener, Jess Evans, as she surveyed the scene at the National Trust property on the outskirts of Tiverton.

Good sunny spells in the spring and summer followed by bursts of rain in September means this could be a particularly fine autumn for colour.

It is good news for a growing band of UK “leaf peepers”, to borrow an American term, who are discovering pleasure and comfort in the turning of the seasons, especially at this most difficult of times.

“I think people are finding joy outdoors at the moment,” Evans said. “This last burst of colour feels all the more important this autumn.”

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Original source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/09/autumn-colour-brings-joy-to-uks-growing-band-of-leaf-peepers