WE ARE spoiled for choice in Clackmannanshire for good places to see the full glory of autumn leaf colour and this is certainly a spectacular time of the year.

Autumn is not just about colour, but also the smell, the heavy dampness of the air and nip of coldness which in a few weeks time will be very much more severe.

It is also a time of plenty with the hanging bunches of elderberries, the abundant haws and numerous other seed plants.

When it comes to the star performers of autumn, the beech tree is right there at the top. Whilst the shed leaves of some tree species can be rather dark, limp and lifeless, those of the beech are crisp to the touch, almost as if they have been toasted over a fire.

The leaves of beech are fascinating to watch as they change colour over the course of autumn, yellow at first before turning orange or reddish brown.

They are dropping and changing colour because they have finished their job of capturing the maximum amount of sunlight, so vital in the manufacture of food for the tree.

Even the angle of the stalk of each leaf can be continually adjusted during the course of a summer’s day so as to capture as many of the sun’s rays possible.

Leaves are complex engine rooms powered by sunlight which mix carbon dioxide from the air with water from the roots to produce life-giving sugars and starch.

The final piece in the growth jigsaw is provided by minerals and nutrients drawn up through the roots that also aid growth.

Essential to this whole food-making process is a green light absorbing pigment in leaves called chlorophyll and it is the breakdown of chlorophyll in autumn that allows other hidden pigments to become more apparent, giving leaves at this time of year their marvellous range of tints.

Even once shed, leaves still have an important role to play, forming rich compost that returns valuable nutrients back to the soil.

The leaf litter also provides shelter and food for a whole host of invertebrates, which themselves are preyed upon by birds and small mammals.

Different trees exhibit different autumn colours. Two of my favourites are the birch and aspen. They provide a subtle display with their flutter-like leaves delivering a beautiful yellow that trembles in the wind.

Another great displayer is Norway maple - the leaves turning almost red before they fall.

There is no doubt that autumn is one of the best times of year to fully appreciate our trees. It is also a time to reflect.

There is an old and gnarled oak tree I know that stands alone at a field edge, and sometimes when passing it I mentally catalogue the major events in history that it must have lived through.

And I’m not talking Second World War here, more Battle of Trafalgar and the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. The deep splits and fissures in the tree are testament to the traumas endured over several human lifetimes from numerous storms.

If trees could talk, what tales they would tell.