AS we head into September, and autumn begins, it's that time of year again when leaves will fall from the trees.
So, why then, have they been falling for some weeks already?
Leaves have been turning brown and falling from trees across Cheshire, leading many to wonder why it's been happening so early this year.
Several heatwaves this year has meant that this summer has been incredibly hot, with the Met Office predicting it will be the hottest summer on UK record.
In response to the adverse weather, trees have been losing their leaves early due to 'stress'.
"Trees are losing their leaves early this year due to the adverse weather conditions we've had over the growing season," said Ralph Connolly, woodlands lead at Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
"The lack of rainfall in the early spring and the hot, dry summer has been very challenging for all plants.
"The rain we have had has tended to be very 'flashy'- sudden intense downpours that quickly run off desiccated land before there is time to absorb it properly.
"All this has brought about a stress response in lot of trees as they attempt to conserve resources by going into dormancy early and dropping their leaves."
Trees have been losing leaves as a 'stress response' (Image: Newsquest)Some trees have coped with the adverse weather, while some, newly planted trees have struggled.
"Generally speaking, more mature, established trees with deeper roots can cope better with drought conditions," said Ralph.
"But as someone involved in a lot of new woodland creation, it is particularly challenging for newly planted trees that have not yet established their root systems, and many have died as a result.
"It's the same reason that autumn as a whole appears to be coming on earlier - with berries and nuts ripening in July and August- essentially an emergency response from the plant to try to produce the next generation in case it doesn't make it.
"So overall, unfortunately, it's another sign of the impacts of our rapidly changing climate with natural systems struggling to deal with increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather."