In full autumn colour, the foliage of Betula papyrifera has turned a golden yellow. This native to North America is ideally situated near the east gate to catch and reflect the light from the sunrise on its leaves. Now 40 plus years old it has a fine shape and the bark has developed a characterful white sheen. October arrived with a grass frost overnight on the night of the first. With the lower temperatures the conkers have now started to fall from the Horse Chestnut trees. A good season with larger well shaped conkers and a more prolific crop this year. In previous years the harvest on the tree in the garden has been much reduced. Unfortunately, the Horse Chestnut, Aesculus hippocastaneum, has been placed on the IUCN European red list as a vulnerable species due to the decline in numbers caused by the devastating effects of the leaf miner moth. Staying grounded, there are pots of the autumn flowering Snowdrop in the alpine house. Galanthus reginae-olgae grows at c.1000m within the Peloponnese peninsula. White flowers with green markings on the inner tepals are held on naked stalks. The foliage develops once the flowers fade.