AUTUMN DUMP

Following on from the autumn dip that was reported on last month, Stalker  was amused to read about the Autumn Dump.

A scientist has developed a new theory for why leaves produce stunning autumnal colour then drop.

Traditional thinking is that the leaves fall as temperatures drop during the autumn, allowing the plant to enter a resting phase and save energy.

But Professor Brian Ford believes leaf drop occurs to excrete waste products from the tree.

The word for the leaf he uses is excretophore, a means of consigning unwanted wastes to the void.

Gives a whole new twist to the pleasures of kicking through the leaves on a sunny autumn afternoon.