Iwas pretty amazed to see ripe blackberries on my park run this July, but having spoken to the Woodland Trust , that’s nothing – the earliest ready-to-eat ones reported in 2025 appeared in June.

After that, premature fruit and early browning leaves took over my walks. I spotted a fallen chestnut in July ( this is usually a September/October phenomenon), for instance.

And I noticed fallen sycamore seeds and even their grounded brown leaves late that month too, when their canopies were meant to be at their fullest.

What is going on, and why are leaves brown in late summer?

According to the experts , the reason isn’t just “early autumn” – it’s a sign of stress.

Fallen (if not quite ready) conker in JULY... Christ alive pic.twitter.com/ErwgsJVnaO — Amy (@myGloverrr) July 24, 2

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