To encourage you to go out and make the most of the Island’s natural assets, the JEP is running Nature Watch, a monthly photographic competition and online picture gallery.
Each month we will print your best nature pictures and also share them here on our website. And one winning photographer will receive a printed canvas of their image, courtesy of Framing Workshop.
Use the form below to upload your best pictures.
This month’s theme: The colour of autumn
THIS month marks the official onset of autumn when the Island shows us just how truly beautiful it can be.
In our gardens, woodlands and even on our coastal headlands, October revels in a kaleidoscope of colours.
Should temperatures decide to fall away a little and give us the first hint of a frosty morning, birds will be renewing their loyalty cards and relying more on the garden bird feeders.
A fully laden bird table, plus its feathered diners, can often result in a fine impromptu photograph.
A woodland in October also proves a fine hunting ground for the picture-taker, not least for the changing colours in the leafy canopies.
It’s that ‘once in a year time’ when reds, golds and yellows collectively brighten any woodland walk.
As fallen leaves collect below, high-octane acorn-gathering activity takes place above as red squirrels and jays stockpile their winter larders.
It’s also a great time of year for fungi to advertise their truly remarkable shapes and colours.
On sunny days, dense patches of ivy prove a late-season magnet for scores of bees and butterflies while, even on our coastal headlands, bracken adds to the
spirit of autumn’s annual ‘gold parade’.
It’s a lovely time of the year to be looking, clicking and being outside.
Enjoy, and good luck!
Mike Stentiford
