Article: AUTUMN IN AUGUST! A carpet of brown leaves, conkers on the ground, bumper crops of blackberries a whole month early. Has the heatwave caused our earliest ever autumn?

Byline: MICHAEL HANLON

OF COURSE, it is not only we humans who have been affected by this extraordinarily hot summer. Spare a thought for Britain's plants, many of which are suffering after months of well-above-average temperatures and a drought that has gripped parts of the South-East for most of the year.

According to Kew Gardens botanist Stewart Henchie, many trees and plants are being affected by stress because of lack of water.

Look around and you can see the signs everywhere: leaves turning brown and falling off; acorns and conkers already lying on the ground - at least a month earlier than normal.

Another effect is that a bumper ...

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