Archive for month: September, 2020

Fall foliage is undoubtedly one of natures greatest displays. Each Autumn, the landscape is flooded with gorgeous color as trees prepare themselves for winter. In the Northeast states, the colors are a spectacle that is unanimously appreciated and respected. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to view the bursting colors in New England each year, and 2020 will be no different.

The weather, both during the growing season and fall foliage season itself, has a tremendous effect on fall foliage. The conditions which the trees and leaves endure during the Summer can have lasting effects on how the leaves appear in the Autumn. Similarly, conditions during the Autumn months can greatly impact how the trees behave.

Why do Autumn leaves change color in the first place?

The science behind trees and their leaves is fascinating, and at its most compelling during the Autumn months. One of the central processes at work is photosynthesis. Many trees and plants perform this process to generate food and energy necessary for cellular growth.

The process of photosynthesis requires a few key components: Energy from the sun, carbon dioxide, and water. Most notably for our consideration, the process takes place in many cells which contain chlorophyll, which aids the plant in producing glucose (a.k.a plant food). The chlorophyll cells are responsible for the leafs green appearance.

But chlorophyll naturally breaks down, and as Summer turns to Autumn the temperature and water balance changes. As days become shorter and the sunlight less intense, the production of chlorophyll eventually slows to a halt. Other compounds which always exist in the leaf – namely Carotenoids and Anthocyanins – begin to become dominant.

These compounds are responsible for the vivid orange, red and yellow colors that burst to life in the Autumn months. In fact, each individual compound is responsible for a certain color! Flavonols are known for their yellow color and Beta-Carotene helps produce oranges, for example.

Eventually, as the Autumn months wear on, perennial plants and trees begin to drop their leaves. Other trees (pines, spruces, and firs) are evergreens throughout the Winter season. It is an incredible process to consider – by dropping leaves, trees are very literally preparing themselves for Winter. The trees close off the veins providing nutrients to the leaf, and eventually the individual leaves fall to the ground.

Once on the ground, leaves break down into the earth around the trees, providing nutrients to the ground and soil. These nutrients stay near the tree through the Winter months and well into the Spring and next growing season. The process continues year after year.

What should we expect from fall foliage in 2020?

The summer of 2020 was warm and relatively dry throughout New England. Precipitation numbers have crept upwards over the past few weeks, but 3-month departures are still solidly below normal. Drier weather can lead to faster changing and somewhat less vibrant autumn colors.

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With that being said, the weather pattern is expected to remain warm and active over the next few weeks. This should lead to some recovery of dry 3-month averages throughout New England, and fall foliage may also trend more vibrant as a result.

Fall foliage typically peaks during the last week of September and first week of October in New England, spreading from north to south. Peak foliage begins earlier in places like Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and gradually moves southward into Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

It remains to be seen exactly how the colors will emerge, but at this moment there is no reason to believe colors will be much earlier or much later than average. We’ll have further updates as we head through the next few weeks!

You can check out state-by-state current conditions by visiting this website.