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Terms and golds creeping in early this year?

After one of the hottest, driest summers on record, many trees are showing their autumn colours weeks ahead of schedule.

But what does all this mean? Well, drought places trees under stress, triggering an early version of the same process that normally happens in autumn.

Trees begin shutting down their leaves, pulling valuable nutrients back into their roots for safe keeping over winter.

Normally this is controlled by day length and cooler weather in autumn, but when water runs short,

trees kick start the process early.

Most deciduous trees won't regrow leaves until after winter.

They need that long cold reset before bursting back into life in spring.

But some, like Japanese maples, don't always play by the rules, and will often produce

a fresh set of leaves before their true autumn fall.

Each species reacts and responds in its own way.

Mighty oaks with their deep roots and lobed, waxy leaves tend to take drought in their stride. But birches, cherries and hawthorns with shall deep roots and lobed waxy leaves tend to take drought in their stride.

But birches, cherries and hawthorns with shallower roots are much more likely to drop their leaves early.

It's all about strategy and trade-offs. Oaks grow slowly but endure for centuries,

while faster-growing pioneer species gamble on speed, even if it means cutting their growing season

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