Drought affects fall foliage

By Richard Primack 

“It is pleasant to walk over the beds of these fresh, crisp, and rustling leaves. How beautifully they go to their graves!” Henry David Thoreau in Excursions. 

People in New England eagerly anticipate the beautiful autumn foliage season as leaves change from green to red, yellow, and orange. In normal years, color changes begin in late September and reach their peak in the first two weeks of October.  

 

Many leaves are just turning brown rather than changing color

This summer the persistence of severe drought conditions and high temperatures has caused the leaves of many trees and shrubs to change color early or just turn brown. The forest floor was already covered with dead brown leaves in August.  

 

The forest floor covered with dead leaves in August

 

The autumn fall foliage season is likely to be earlier than usual this year and not as dramatic. Is this a hint of how climate change will affect fall foliage in coming decades?  

 

For more details, see these two recent articles.  

 

In the Connecticut Insider: 

 

https://www.ctinsider.com/weather/article/fall-foliage-ct-2022-17389430.php

 

And in CNN: 

 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/10/us/fall-colors-northeast-drought-climate/index.html