We are seeing the beautiful reds, oranges and yellows of autumn.
Don Leopold, an environmental biology professor at SUNY ESF, said the peak foliage time in central New York is usually around October 21. And he expects that to be true this year too, saying most of the trees peak between October 18 and October 24.
“A lot of fall process is driven by shortening day lengths, but a lot of it is driven by cooler nights and the day," Leopold said. "So basically, anything that either promotes the growth or, or breaks down chlorophyll because it's that green chlorophyll in the leaf that is basically covering the colors that are there all summer.”
New York is home to more than 100 tree species and different areas of the state have distinct ecological regions. Leopold also advises leaf peepers to get outside their town and explore, saying there’s no reason why peak foliage season only has to last a few days.
“There's so many things that, you know, an eclipse comes and it's cloudy. Northern lights come and it's cloudy. I mean, there are all kinds of things that prevent us from enjoying some really neat, natural events," Leopold said. "But this is one that don't just sit in your house. If you want to see this stuff, go east, west, north, or south and somewhere within two or three hours, there's going to be some really nice color.”
This week’s fall foliage report by volunteer observers notes a 35% change at Green Lakes State Park with average-to-bright shades of red and yellow, along with some orange, a 60% change in Utica with muted-to-average autumn colors, and a 45% change in Oswego County with red and purple leaves, along with some muted yellow.
