Today has been yet another wet and blustery day. But the plus side of all this wet weather has been the mild temperatures that have generally prevailed. As a consequence, I have recently seen flowering plants of both red and white campions, evening primrose and even oxeye daisies. All of these plants would normally have gone to seed by now and be returning to their seasonal dormant state.
No doubt the small mammals such as the dormouse stand to benefit as the young in particular will have had more time to add the necessary body weight to see them through the winter. Bats too will have more nights in which to fly and feed. Unfortunately the last winter appears to have sadly depleted the numbers of hedgehogs, and whereas in recent years, several have been seen in the area including our back garden, this year only one male was seen and a few days later, a body (almost certainly the same animal) was to be found by the side of the road.
Just two days ago, I was able to pick one pound of blackberries. I have never done that before in November. Admittedly, these particular plants are unusual even this year. They grow mostly in the shade and the plants hang down from an overgrown (up to 20 feet high) privet hedge. I have yet to see any winter migrant birds, apparently because there is a good berry crop in their native lands; when they do arrive they should find plenty of berries here as the native birds are not consuming them, presumably this is because there are plenty of other foods still available to them.