Amber alert

With its rich history and colour, ginkgo biloba is a truly remarkable tree

- DIARMUID GAVIN

Mother Nature is putting on a splendid show this autumn. The leaves are displaying their diverse pigments before they drop for winter.

Neighbourhoods, parks and forests are transformed into a colourful patchwork of crimson, fiery orange, yellow and purple.

Some of the best autumnal foliage can be found in conifers. Wait, aren't conifers supposed to be evergreen? Well, yes the majority are.

Most conifers have waxy needle-shaped leaves that reduce water evaporation and help them survive harsh winters, shrugging off frost and snow. However there is a unique group of conifers that are deciduous and they all produce wonderful seasonal colours. Their members include the larch tree (Larix) whose pine-like leaves turn a glorious soft golden before dropping, lighting up the edge of woodlands.