Dave Gullen

The leaves on the virginia creeper covering the fence have turned an amazing mixture of rose and cream, and leaves are starting to fall from the big sycamore.
Quite a few leaves have ended up in the crown of my big Dicksonia tree fern, just where they need to be.  They will be a great frost cover through the winter.
Last year strong winter winds dried out the Dicksonia fronds badly, I'm hoping this year it won't be so bad, but to be honest the plant recovered vigorously, although the new fronds aren't quite as big as last years.
All the tree ferns are still growing, if slowly, taking advantage of the late sun, rain and occasional warm day.  Fronds are emerging one at a time now, instead of the triple sets the plants like to throw mid summer.

And talking of throws, my little cycad is midway through its annual throw of leaves and apart from flowering, for cycads this is about as exciting as it gets.  These are funny little plants, obstinately sitting in the sun all summer and resolutely doing absolutely nothing.  then, at the end of the season they throw out a cluster of leaves and that's it for the year.  I do wonder what they are doing with all that sunlight.  The tree ferns in exactly the same position grow like mad.   The new cycad leaves are softa and easily damaged.  They like long, green caterpillars, each segment uncurling like a little clenched fist.  Fully grown they are tough, spiny, almost woody, and can last for years.