Saying goodbye is never easy, but how can you avoid it in October? Most of our songbirds have bid us adieu and returned to Africa; the majority of our colourful insects have slipped away and will lie low until the spring. Soon the trees will lose their leaves and retreat into dormancy. Even the daylight is ebbing. But a few species are still hanging around to keep us company. As I worked this morning, I watched some bees foraging in the last patch of clover.