Life and death, farewell and new beginnings – in hardly any other season, those antipodes are as close as in autumn. The leaves shine in bright colours, and the animals find abundant food. However, the coming winter is already lurking with all its austerities. A competition against time is starting. In forests, meadows, fields or swamps, this is the time of challenges, changes and dangers. How do animals prepare for the coming winter? How do plants adapt to the cold season?