Long hot summer means we should enjoy spectacular autumn colour

Plenty of sunshine is needed to bring out the intense reds and yellows from the leaves, and this year we're set for a dazzling display

Autumn colour is perhaps the most striking of nature's seasonal displays, but the vividness of the annual spectacle is largely dependent on good environmental conditions. This year, following a fine summer and with an Indian summer predicted, we look to be on course for a dazzling display that could trump recent years and extend well into November.

Shorter daylight hours and colder nights are what trigger leaf drop - or senescence - but frost, like rain, can damage leaves and cause early leaf fall. Plenty of sunshine is needed to encourage concentrations of colour pigments which help to intensify leaf colour.