Struck by the ‘false autumn’ happening in her family’s garden, a photographer reflects on the changes happening around us…
by Helena Miscioscia.

It was August when I visited my family’s garden in Child Okeford, but it looked more like October and I was shocked to see so many brown crispy leaves already lying on the ground. I had read that the hot summer had ushered in what is known as a ‘false autumn’, in which some trees attempted to survive by conserving water and energy, effectively shutting down early for autumn.
Devon Wildlife Trust says “this ‘false autumn’ may be a sign of wider problems for wildlife in coming months… When October and November do arrive the usual bounty of wild foods may already be depleted, leaving a real risk of scarcity for birds and mammals.”
I thought about trying to capture this strange phenomenon through portraiture. My niece Evie was a willing model, and we entitled the series Lost Summer, August 2022. At first I thought she could symbolise false autumn somehow, tricking nature into thinking autumn had come early. But I realised that this wasn’t autumn after all, but a survival mechanism by the trees, so hopefully these pictures shows that Evie is the symbol of hope, of nature knowing what to do to protect itself.
I am not sure we will really know the effects of these long hot summers until next year, when we see which animals have made it through hibernation. In years to come we may see that some tree species haven’t survived. We can all try to do our bit by being more sustainable every day, and speaking to our leaders to ensure climate issues are at the top of the agenda. Meanwhile, we have to hope that nature can adapt.
Find out more about Helena and her work at helenamphotography.com