Wet, wet, wet would seem to be a fitting epitaph for most of September. At least rivers and ponds are well topped up for the winter.

However, at the month's end and briefly into October we enjoyed a lovely spell of warm sunny weather usually referred to as an Indian summer, which, combined with cold nights should ensure conditions are ideal to promote rich vibrant autumn colours.

As some of those days progressed, in certain calm atmospheric conditions the sun gradually turned hazy behind pseudo-cloud formations created mainly by aircraft condensation trails which slowly expanded and spread right across the sky from horizon to horizon.

It was encouraging to see so many honeybees busy on my massed Michaelmas daisies (pictured) while a few late white butterflies and brimstones were on the wing, the latter building up energy levels to sleep through the winter under bramble leaves on in ivy clumps where their greenish-yellow leaf-like wing shapes help conceal them from predators.

The warm weather certainly stimulates deer and they were engaged in quite frenzied activity in the afternoons.

A few red stags appear to have collected far larger harems than usual and spent much time fending off younger rivals.

In my garden pond some frogspawn was laid very late in the spring and as a result, there are still tadpoles without legs whereas they normally mature into froglets by the end of June.

If the winter is not too severe with little ice, then they may survive and mature neat year. It will be interesting to see.