Back at the end of September, Louise over at Louise’s 30 Days Wild suggested doing something like 30 Days Wild but for October. Get outdoors and enjoy nature every day, and take some photos to share along the way.

For more details have a read of Wild October on Louise’s blog.

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to manage it at this time of year, given the decreasing amounts of daylight and the fact that 10 hours of every week day is spent either at work or commuting. But I decided to give it a go anyway!

The month didn’t get off to a good start with a wet weekend, but a few breaks in the rain allowed for some time outside in the garden.

A raindrop on the end of a heliopsis petal in the garden.

Found this dock bug in the garden today, hanging around on the aster flowers.

Things got a bit better after that. I was off work for the 1st week of October so plenty of time for getting out and about, and the weather looked good too.

So on the first day of the week I headed off for a return trip to RSPB Ouse Washes. I was hoping to see more birds around this time, and there were a lot of starlings and lapwings about. There were also a lot of common darter dragonflies hunting and sunbathing alongside the river, and a surprising number of small copper butterflies.

Small Copper butterfly resting in the sun. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

Hawthorn shieldbug out in the sun on the steps up to one of the bird hides. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

One of many Common Darter dragonflies using the wooden handrail as a perch. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

A flock of starlings and a few lapwings swirling through the sky above the washes. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

Grey heron fishing in one of the drainage ditches. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

Ely Cathedral standing high on the Isle of Ely, above the herds of cows grazing the land in the washes. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

7-spot ladybird nestled in a gap in one of the wooden handrails. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

A female common darter dragonfly, resting on a wooden handrail. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

A red legged black clock beetle, sunning itself on top of a wooden post. Photos from RSPB Ouse Washes.

The second day of my week off I decided to pay a visit to somewhere I’ve been meaning to go and explore for a long time – Bedford Purlieus National Nature Reserve. I’d visited here once before, many years ago, but only for a brief stop in the carpark on the way to Fineshade Wood, another part of the old Rockingham Forest.

A nice day for a walk in the woods, sunlight breaking through the canopy illuminating the fungi and bright autumn colours of the bracken. There were a lot of deer running through the trees, wood ants going about their business on the woodland floor, and common darter dragonflies hunting along the woodland rides.

Sunlight breaking through the trees. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

Common darter dragonfly, resting in the sun in one of the woodland rides. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

One of the many woodland paths between the main rides, Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

Two of the many fallow deer I saw in the woods, crossing the path ahead. They don’t hang around for long. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

A freshly sprouted pleated inkcap mushroom in one of the woodland rides. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

One of many wood ants that were running back and forth along a fallen tree branch. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

A Milkcap mushroom nestled amongst the leaves on the woodland floor. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

A Dapperling mushroom fruiting amonst the grass of a woodland ride, I think this is lepiota aspera, the Freckled Dapperling. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

The bright autumn colour of braken fronds. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

Grass seeds looking almost like they’re glowing in the afternoon sunlight. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

Seed’s forming on Old Man’s Beard catching the sunlight. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

Umbellifer seeds catching the afternoon sunlight. Photos from Bedford Purlieus national nature reserve in Peterborough.

Another sunny day forecast for the third day of my week off, so I decided to head off for an autumnal walk around Titchmarsh Nature Reserve.

A lot of cormorants around on the lakes and a number of herons hunting along the banks and flying over the water. I also spotted a quite late and somewhat tattered migrant hawker dragonfly.

A small swam of midges, swirling about in the sun. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

The trickling overflow from the end of the lakes. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

Bright red Hawthorn pomes against the blue sky. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

Migrant Hawker dragonfly, with somewhat worn wings, having a brief rest on a rose. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

Two Cormorants out on the heronry lake, lots of them about. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

Grey Heron flying over the heronry lake. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

Xanthoria parietina lichen brightening up the leafless branches. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

Syrphus ribesii hoverfly feeding on a flower. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

A Dark Bush-cricket on a fence post. Photos from Titchmarsh nature reserve in Northamptonshire.

Toward the end of the week the weather forecast started to get greyer – Sunny mornings but with cloud moving in by lunchtime, so on the Thursday I decided to head over to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

Lots of signs of autumn about, thistles flowering, berries on the bushes and there were a lot of mossy rose galls (or Robin’s Pincushions) on the dog roses, with one about the size of a tennis ball! I also spotted another quite late migrant hawker dragonfly taking in some of the autumn morning sun.

A very large Robin’s Pincusion or Mossy Rose Gall, this one was almost the size of a tennis ball! Photos from a trip to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

A bright pink Common Knapweed flower in the morning sunlight. Photos from a trip to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

Sloe berries on a blackthorn tree. Photos from a trip to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

A migrant hawker dragonfly sunning itself on a tree trunk. Photos from a trip to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

A fallen pine cone sitting amongst the grass. Photos from a trip to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

A sycamore leaf changing into autumnal colours. Photos from a trip to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

Moss growing in cracks on an old fallen tree trunk. Photos from a trip to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

A new cone starting to open up on a fir tree. Photos from a trip to Twywell Hills and Dales and Twywell Plantation.

The week came to a close with a grey Friday and a forecast of a rainy afternoon, so I went for a short morning walk around Summer Leys nature reserve.

Bright yellow flowers of bristly oxtongue piercing the morning gloom and autumn fruits ripening up all around, with acorns and crab apples on the trees and glossy conkers emerging from their skins on the ground. I also stopped for a while and sat watching the birds at the feeding station where, in addition to the usual suspects, I spotted some female reed buntings.

A perfect seed ball on bristly oxtounge. Photos from a trip to Wildlife Trusts Summer Leys LNR in early October.

Acorns ripening up nicely. Photos from a trip to Wildlife Trusts Summer Leys LNR in early October.

Oak leaves changing to autumn colours as the chlorophyll fades away. Photos from a trip to Wildlife Trusts Summer Leys LNR in early October.

A fresh shiny conker inside its protective shell. Photos from a trip to Wildlife Trusts Summer Leys LNR in early October.

Blue Tit on one of the bird feeders in the feeding station. Photos from a trip to Wildlife Trusts Summer Leys LNR in early October.

Female Reed Bunting on one of the bird tables in the feeding station. Photos from a trip to Wildlife Trusts Summer Leys LNR in early October.

Nice ripe apples on a crab apple tree. Photos from a trip to Wildlife Trusts Summer Leys LNR in early October.

A bristly oxtongue flower opening up.Photos from a trip to Wildlife Trusts Summer Leys LNR in early October.

As forecast rain moved in for the end of Friday and into Saturday, so after a week of going out I decided to spend the weekend in the garden. Raindrops adding interest to the last of the aster flowers on Saturday but the sun came back out again on Sunday which brought out the autumn crocus flowers and the common carder bees.

Raindrops adding extra interest to aster flowers in the garden.

More autumn flowering crocuses opening in the garden.

Lots of carder bees still out in the sun.

So that’s the first week of October done. I’ll take a break at this point as with a whole week of getting out and about there’s quite a lot of photos in this post already.

To see all of my #WildOctober photos take a look at the album on Flickr.

Part 2 will follow shortly…