UK drought: Why do the trees think it's autumn already?

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You might think autumn has come early because of the crunch of leaves on the ground.

There is a hint of a change in the seasons. It is the sign of a false autumn.

As a result of the heat and the dry spell, trees are in survival mode, with leaves dropping off or changing colour.

Some people may die as a result.

The Royal Horticultural Society'sLeigh Hunt says that trees are stressed and "shutting up shop" in the fall.

It's giving the appearance that we're already in autumn, but the days are too long for those natural autumn processes to start.

The plants are not responding to autumn conditions so we call it false autumn.

He has seen a lot of damage to trees in the countryside, but this is the most severe he has seen.

Young trees planted on poor soil at the edge of roads could die if they were to suffer from the effects of a dry spell.

He says that trees that have only lost a few leaves should recover with the right amount of rain.

When the tree can't replenish the water lost through the leaves, it will dry up.

The trees may respond by producing more seeds in an attempt to reproduce and survive into the future.

If there's a lot of rain, we could see a second spring with trees putting on an extra spurt of growth.

The unpredictable weather can be seen in the appearance of berry on plants and shrubs.

The earliest report of ripe blackberries has been received by the trust.

Fruits and nuts are ripening faster than ever, which can cause disaster for wildlife that eat them.

A number of early autumn events have been brought on by the record-breaking heat.

The south of England has some of the earliest ripe berry records. The hawthorn and rowan are ripening early in some parts of the country.

holly and elder have been recorded as fruiting earlier as well. Extreme temperatures and a lack of water can cause trees to drop their leaves early.

It's hard to say what the long-term consequences of the current dry spell will be, but experts think it will be bad for wildlife.

The dry spell could last for years around rivers.

Wetlands can be killed by fast-growingalgae during the summer.

A reduction in river levels affects the entire ecology.

"These plants provide vital habitat for insects and fish, and their loss from the ecosystems causes major changes up the food chain," says Dr Mike Bowes of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

It can take several years before plants are able to recover from the effects of a severe dry spell.

Helen can be followed on social media by using the handlehbriggs.