Autumn colour: The science of nature's spectacle
This year was recently described as having the strangest weather on record in the UK, from droughts to a dull and rain-sodden summer.
But there could be a ray of light at the end of the murky tunnel.
The Forestry Commission says the elements have conspired to give us a particularly spectacular display of autumn colour.
Here, Raef Johnson from the National Arboretum in Westonbirt, Gloucestershire, explains how different species of tree put on their seasonal show.
Video journalist: John Galliver