Shugborough boasts some spectacular parkland trees, which are even more beautiful in the autumn. Do you know why autumn trees turn fiery red and bright orange? When the days grow shorter and sunlight weakens, the green pigment in the leaves breaks down, revealing a weaker yellow, and it is in fact chemical reactions that are responsible for the wonderful red colours we see.
Conservation in autumn
Autumn and winter time is when we undertake our scrub management on our grassland and heathland sites. Our ranger team reduce the amount of scrub such as bramble and birch so that our grassland can grow. This will make your autumnal stroll alive with wildlife and wonderful colour.
Instead of burning the shrub, we create habitat piles. Dead woody materials are a great habitat for invertebrates and can provide shelter for hibernating reptiles and amphibians.