An Autumn Walk: What Can We Discover Outdoors?

October 6, 2026

You do not need to travel far to find signs of autumn. They can appear in a garden, a park, a woodland, beside a path or even along an ordinary street.

At first, we might notice the biggest changes: cooler days, darker evenings and trees filled with yellow, orange and red leaves. But when we slow down and look carefully, we can discover much more.

Pull on your boots and join us for an autumn walk!

🍁 Signs of Autumn

Autumn does not arrive everywhere at exactly the same time. The changes depend on the weather, the plants growing nearby and where you live.

On an autumn walk, you might notice:

leaves beginning to change colour
seeds spinning or floating through the air
berries growing on trees and hedges
fungi appearing in damp places
birds gathering to feed
squirrels searching for nuts and seeds
cooler air, stronger winds or heavier rain
fewer hours of daylight

Some signs are easy to spot. Others are hidden beneath leaves, high in the branches or tucked into cracks in tree bark.

Dew-covered spider webs stretched between dried plants in a misty autumn field.

A misty morning makes these dew-covered spider webs much easier to see. How many signs of autumn can you find in the photograph?

🍃 Look at the Leaves

Autumn leaves come in an enormous variety of colours, shapes and sizes. One tree might still be almost completely green while another nearby has already turned golden.

Look closely at a fallen leaf. Is it smooth or rough? Does it have pointed or rounded edges? Can you trace the network of veins running across it?

You might also notice small holes, ragged edges or winding lines. These can be clues that an insect has fed on the leaf or lived inside it.

Eventually, fallen leaves begin to break down. Worms, minibeasts, bacteria and fungi all help with this process. The nutrients in the leaves return to the soil, where they can be used by plants again.

One leaf is beginning to change while those around it remain green. What colours, marks and signs of damage can you spot?

If you would like to discover the science behind their changing colours, read our blog post Why Do Leaves Change Colour in Autumn?

🌰 Seeds, Berries and Fungi

Autumn is a busy time for plants. Many are scattering the seeds that could grow into new plants.

Some seeds spin through the air like tiny helicopters. Others float on the wind, stick to animal fur or sit safely inside fruits and berries. Acorns, conkers, pine cones and winged sycamore seeds can all be found at this time of year.

Look at each seed carefully. How do you think it travels?

Autumn hedges and trees may also be covered in colourful berries. Rowan, hawthorn and bramble fruits provide valuable food for birds and other animals.

Berries help plants spread their seeds. An animal eats the fruit, moves to another place and later leaves the seeds behind. Those seeds then have a chance to grow somewhere new.

These brambles are not all ripening at the same time. What different colours can you see? Look very closely—what else can you spot?

Damp autumn weather also creates good conditions for many kinds of fungi. You might find mushrooms pushing through the soil or bracket fungi growing from dead wood.

The part we can see is only one part of the fungus. Much of it may be hidden in the soil or wood as a network of fine threads. Fungi help to break down fallen leaves and dead wood, returning nutrients to the environment.

Fungi are neither plants nor animals. They belong to a group of living things all of their own.

Two red-and-white fly agaric mushrooms growing among fallen autumn leaves.

Do these mushrooms look familiar? Fly agarics—with their bright red caps and pale spots—often appear in stories, cartoons and illustrations. These real ones were growing among the autumn leaves.

Some berries and fungi are poisonous. Enjoy looking at them, but never taste anything you find outdoors unless a knowledgeable adult has confirmed that it is safe.

🐿️ Wildlife in Autumn

Autumn brings changes for animals too.

Squirrels collect nuts and seeds, hiding some to eat later. Grey squirrels are a familiar sight in many parks, gardens and woodlands. They do not hibernate, so they remain active throughout the year, although they may spend more time inside their nests during very bad weather.

Birds make the most of autumn’s berries, seeds and insects. Some birds leave Britain and fly to warmer places, while others arrive here from colder countries. Redwings and fieldfares, for example, travel to Britain for the autumn and winter and often feed on berries.

Clusters of bright red rowan berries growing among green leaves.

Clusters of rowan berries provide valuable autumn and winter food for many birds. How many berries can you see?

Other animals are preparing for the colder months ahead. Hedgehogs eat as much as they can before hibernating, while insects may shelter under bark, among fallen leaves or inside hollow stems.

You may not see the animals themselves, but you might find clues that they have been nearby. Look for:

footprints in mud
nibbled nuts or pine cones
feathers
holes in leaves
spider webs covered in dew
rustling in the undergrowth
birdsong or alarm calls

Remember to watch quietly and give wildlife plenty of space.

🔎 Look Up, Look Down, Look Closer

When we walk outdoors, it is easy to look straight ahead and miss what is happening around us.

Try exploring from three different viewpoints.

Look up. Can you see birds, berries, bare branches or seeds waiting to fall?

Look down. What is hiding among the fallen leaves? Can you find moss, fungi, animal tracks or an empty nutshell?

Look closer. Examine the texture of bark, the veins of a leaf or the tiny droplets on a spider web. A magnifying glass can reveal details that are difficult to see with your eyes alone.

Do not forget to listen too. Can you hear leaves crunching, wind moving through branches or birds calling to one another?

An ordinary place can seem completely different when we stop and pay attention.

✅ Try an Autumn Spotting Challenge

On your next autumn walk, see if you can find:

three leaves of different colours
two differently shaped seeds
something rough
something smooth
a berry growing on a plant
a fungus
evidence that an animal has been nearby
something that has changed since summer
the smallest sign of autumn you can spot
something that makes you curious

Photograph or sketch your discoveries rather than collecting them. When you return, choose one and investigate it more closely.

You could create an Autumn Discovery Page containing:

a drawing or photograph
a description of what you noticed
where you found it
two questions you would like to answer
one fact you discovered afterwards

No two walks will produce exactly the same collection of observations.

🌟 Keep Looking

Autumn is not simply something that happens around us. It is a season we can investigate.

A changing leaf, an empty nutshell or a mushroom beside a path can all lead to interesting questions. The more carefully we look, the more there is to discover.

So, the next time you step outside, slow down for a moment. Look up, look down and look closer. What signs of autumn are waiting to be found?

Continue exploring seasonal change with our Seasons – Early Level Social Studies Pack, filled with child-friendly information and activities for discovering how the world around us changes throughout the year.