As the woodland beauties change their green ball gowns for the brilliance of their autumn attire, I gaze in wonder at the amazing kaleidoscope of colours that appear on display.

As I stand below the outstretched branches and feel the warm sun on my back, a gentle breeze rolls through offering a rainfall of tiny leaves which dapple and dance through the air.

A recent rainfall or overnight dew paints the trunks dark and powerful greys and accents of green where the moss has dared to tread.

You might assume a woodland is a place of silence and solace, but tune into nature's orchestra and you will hear a gentle patter of falling leaves like rain on the woodland floor. The wind will tease the branches to creak like the bow of a violinist. The flutter of wings as a bird takes flight or the crack of a branch as a deer makes its wary way across a path deep in the undergrowth.

Use all your senses and you will soon be aware of the smells of the fresh earth, the pine needles and the gently mulching fallen leaves. If you are lucky a twirling leaf may even tap you on your shoulder or land gently on your head.

Oranges, yellows, browns and golds, pinks, purples, and silvers - the rainbow of an autumn woodland.