Is autumn coming early this year?

Crisp mornings, colourful leaves, shiny conkers peeping from their spiky green cases and sycamore seeds twirling to the floor like tiny helicopters.

These are all clues that autumn is on its way, but have you been noticing these signs a little earlier this year?

As the UK looks back on one of its warmest summers on record, some people have noticed a surprising change in the landscape.

So, are we having an early autumn, and when does autumn actually begin?

Read on to find out more...

When does autumn start?

There are two different answers to when autumn actually starts.

The first is called meteorological autumn, where weather scientists divide the year into four exact seasons of three months each. That means autumn always begins on 1 September and ends on 30 November. This makes it easier to compare temperatures, rainfall and sunshine from one year to the next.

The other answer is astronomical autumn, which starts at the autumn equinox - usually on 22 or 23 September - and that's when day and night are almost the same length. After that, days start to become shorter and nights get longer.

What is 'false autumn'?

Sometimes, though, nature seems to go a little early.

You may have seen leaves falling in August and conkers dropping weeks earlier than usual. This is known as a 'false autumn'.

BBC Weather's Elizabeth Rizzini says that trees can struggle during very hot, dry summers, like the one we've just had and explained that they shed their leaves early, cutting down on the water lost through them.

Elizabeth added: "It's been the warmest summer on record across the UK with four heatwaves, prolonged dry spells, high overnight temperatures and a marine heatwave too. We had a particularly warm dry and sunny spring too.

"Horse chestnut trees may also release their conkers before they are fully grown. It's a survival trick - by dropping their fruit, trees can save energy and water. That's why you might find smaller, less glossy conkers lying on the ground sooner than expected."

Have you been seeing conkers like this on the ground already?

Other plants are affected too. Oaks may drop acorns early, sycamores may scatter their spinning seeds ahead of time. Hedgerow plants such as blackberries and elderberries can ripen weeks earlier than normal.

While dropped nuts and berries might seem like a bonus for foraging animals gathering things up from the floor, it can cause problems for other wildlife. Birds that rely on berries to fatten up before flying long distances while migrating may find their food supply has already passed its peak.

Elizabeth says false autumns will happen more often because of the changing climate: "We can expect to see more false autumns as our summers become hotter and drier through man-made climate change.

"All five of the UKs hottest summers have now occurred since the year 2000."

So, while autumn officially begins in September, hot summers and climate change means the natural world doesn't always follow the calendar.

Have you noticed any signs of autumn where you live?

Let us know in the comments...