The secret of getting ahead is getting started - Mark Twain
It is the time of year where we make our annual pilgrimage to Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum to see the autumn colours. Especially those in the Autumn Garden with its Japanese maple trees. Visits in previous years can be found here and here.
The end of October/beginning of November is usually the best time to go to see the Japanese maples. The colours are at their finest and you need to visit before the winter storms blow all the leaves off.
There is plenty of colour before you get to the Autumn Garden ...
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Photo 2: Queenswood (28th October 2025)
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... but this is the site that greets you as you approach the Autumn Garden ...
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| Photo 3: Autumn Garden, Queenswood (28th Oct 2025) |
Just enjoy the riot of colour from the Japanese maples ...
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| Photo 4: Autumn Garden, Queenswood (28th Oct 2025) |
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| Photo 5: Autumn Garden, Queenswood (28th Oct 2025) |
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| Photo 6: Autumn Garden, Queenswood (28th Oct 2025) |
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| Photo 7: Autumn Garden, Queenswood (28th Oct 2025) |
This scene was being painted by
Richard Bavin, resident artist with the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust who care for and maintain Queenswood.
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| Photo 8: Autumn Garden, Queenswood (28th Oct 2025) |
One last look at the reds, browns, pinks, oranges and greens before departing ...
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| Photo 9: Queenswood (28th October 2025) |
There is an excellent cafe at Queenswood but we had taken sandwiches and hot drinks so we could sit quietly among the autumn hues and soak up the beauty of an English autumn.
Leaves change colour in autumn as the days shorten and the temperatures drop. The tree stops producing chlorophyll, the green pigment used for photosynthesis. As the chlorophyll breaks down it reveals the ever present yellow and orange
carotenoids and
xanthophylls. Some trees, such as the Japanese maples, produce red & purple
anthocyanins which help the tree capture the last bit of energy from the sun before the leaves drop. The intensity of the reds and purples is higher when high sunshine levels combine with dry conditions to increase sugar levels in the tree sap.
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| Photo 10: Panorama from the Viewpoint at Queenswood (28th Oct 2025) |
This photo of the Skirrid, near
Abergavenny, was taken from the Queenswood viewpoint with the Pixel 10 Pro. The
Skirrid is roughly 18 miles (30 kilometres) away
as the crow flies.
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| Photo 11: The Skirrid from Queenswood Viewpoint (28th Oct 2025) |
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