Trees across the Tamar Valley are shedding their leaves early.

Walking through any wooded area, it is apparent that many leaves are changing colour from green to brown and falling to the ground earlier than expected. Normally we expect to see the orange and brown hues and hear the crunch under our feet in October and November, but we are witnessing this already, as we experience a ‘false autumn’.

This premature leaf dropping is due to stress that has been caused by the hot and dry weather that Devon has been experiencing this summer. Trees seem to be out of sync with their normal seasonal cycle and are basically closing up shop as a protective measure to conserve water.

The National Trust’s Cotehele estate is home to a variety of trees, and while some are thriving, it is visible that others are suffering.

Hannah Milburn, one of the gardeners at Cotehele said: ‘There’s not enough water and too much sun.

‘It’s not autumn, it’s leaf drop from stress.

‘Even with the bit of rain we’ve had, we can see that some plants aren’t recovering’.

Hannah expressed that to her surprise some varieties of trees were coping better than others, but oak and beech seem to be more susceptible to leaf drop.

Hannah said: ‘We’ve certainly lost a few trees that look particularly stressed.

‘If you’re a gardener, it’s stressful to watch your plants die. Suddenly a plant is green and the next day the leaves are brown and curled. ‘There’s not much we can do about it.’

With the concerns surrounding climate change, this ‘false autumn’ could be a sign that we may experience more of these types of events as nature struggles to adapt to our changing climate.

While the trees are clearly in distress, the knock-on-effect of the early leaf drop also raises concerns for local wildlife.

Many birds and mammals depend on the availabilty of berries and seeds to build up reserves for winter and if these supplies are depleted by August, then many of the wildlife will struggle.

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Steve Hussey said: ‘Nature’s timing is everything for our wildlife. The climate crisis is bringing with it seasonal weather patterns which our wildlife is just not adapted to.

‘Take dormice, as just one example: these are animals which must maximise their bodyweight in October and November in order to have a better chance of surviving their long winter hibernation. To do this they will consume large numbers of high fat foods, especially hazelnuts, during autumn. But if those hazelnuts and other hedgerow fruits have already been and gone in August then that presents them with a real problem.’