Autumn in Middelfart: forest, Little Belt and nature's treasures

On the Hindsgavl peninsula and in Staurby Forest, you can go under the treetops on a hike and experience the landscape changing week by week. Anette also recommends Holmeskoven near Gelsted, Vestermose near Ejby, and Kasmose Forest if you want to delve deeper into the autumn mood.

In Hindsgavl Dyrehave, there is an extra nature experience that follows the season. In autumn, the deer go into rut, and the red deer can be heard and experienced when the males roar at each other and fight for the favor of the females. In other words, the soundtrack of autumn is more than just rustling leaves.

And the forest is not the only place where autumn shows itself. On a clear day, you can just as easily go to the beach at Lillebælt, where the autumn light gives the water and the landscape a different expression than in summer, and where the nature at Lillebælt shows a different side than the forest. The water's edge hides its own discoveries.

Remember to look the wrong way

If you go somewhere you've been several times before, it's easy to end up just looking straight ahead. Anette therefore has a little exercise that she uses in nature herself.

“I practice stopping every now and then and looking either low or high. Noticing small animals crawling in the grass, or birds flying high in the sky. Noticing the play of colors in the water of the Little Belt or in the treetops,” she says.

And there is plenty to see right now. The birds are migrating, animals are gathering winter supplies, and the plants are busy securing the next generation. In other words, autumn is happening both above our heads and right in front of our toes.

And some of the things you see are even worth taking home.

A shiny, brown chestnut in your hand is part of autumn, and if you fancy a bagful, there are several places to look: the avenue at Adlerhusvej by the cemetery, Smutvejen between Skrillingevej and Assensvej and Teglgårdsparken, as well as the horse chestnut trees in Hindsgavl Dyrehave near Femvejen and along the blue route in Staurby Skov.

But the chestnuts are just the beginning. The forest floor hides acorns, beech and pine cones side by side with withered leaves in all shades, and mountain ash, dog rose and holly light up in places with orange-red berries. At the coast, the hunt for seashells, stones, snail shells, dried seaweed and reeds continues.

And of course there is no surefire way. A hooked branch, a feather or a leaf in a completely unlikely colour could easily be the best find of the trip.

If you have children nearby, there is a certain probability that the collection will not remain a collection for very long. With toothpicks, acorn hats and a little imagination, today's finds can quickly be transformed into a small population of chestnut men, animals and creatures that cannot necessarily be identified by species.

One of the great things about collecting natural materials is that the experience can continue when you get home. Leaves can be pressed, branches in a vase, and acorns, beech and cones can spread out over the kitchen table. For once, on purpose.

Or you can gather the colors and shapes of autumn in a wreath for the door. Silkes Blomster and Nørklerier in Nørre Aaby shows you how to tie your own autumn wreath with just a few materials from plants you've found on your way.

Silkes Blomster & Nørklerier has made two different wreaths. One uses wild carrot, yellow tansy and white yarrow, while the other is made from mugwort, which with its gray-green shades gives a simpler expression.

You don't have to find exactly the same plants. Look at what's growing around you, choose one to three different kinds, and ask your florist if you're missing something. That way, the wreath will also be a small picture of the trip you've been on.

You will need:
A ring of wire
Floral tape
Wrapping wire
Twine or ribbon for hanging
Floral scissors
1–3 different plants
 

How to do it:

1. Shape the wire into a ring of the size you want and tie the ends together with some wrapping wire.
    
2. Wrap floral tape all the way around the ring. Stretch the tape slightly as you wrap it tightly around the wire so that it sticks and gives the plants a good base to stick to.
    
3. If necessary, cut the plants to approximately the same length. This gives a more uniform look.
    
4. Attach the wrapping wire to the ring. Leave the wire on the roll so that you can work your way around with it.
    
5. Decide how the plants will be distributed. Should they be repeated in a specific order, mixed freely, or should the entire wreath consist of one plant?
    
6. Place the plants on the ring in small bouquets or individually, and wrap the wrapping wire around each bouquet or stem to keep them in place.
    
7. When you have gone all the way around, place the last bouquet or stem under the first one, so that the transition is hidden.
    
8. Attach the twine to the back of the wreath and cut it.
    
9. Finally, tie a string or ribbon for hanging.

If you want the wreath to be denser and more compact, you can give the finished wreath an extra round of twine. When the wreath has done its job, you can cut the twine, remove the dried plants and save the steel wire ring. Then it can be used again for the next wreath. In other words, the ring only needs to be an autumn wreath once.

If you have children with you, or adults who like a mission, you can also make your own nature bingo from home. Draw or write, for example, chestnut, acorn, pine cone, red leaf, feather, snail shell and seashell on a piece of paper, and cross them off as you find them on your walk.

Because maybe that's exactly what autumn is good for. To make us take a second look at places we thought we knew. Down on the forest floor, up in the treetops and out over the Little Belt.

And when the trip is over, you can put your hands in your pockets and see what autumn has left there. A chestnut or seven, an acorn, maybe a feather. And hopefully a desire to go out and fill them again.