Forget that bet over whether this summer’s early drought or late rain will make fall leaves brighter or duller.
Those hues are mostly up to the weather ahead, according to leaf expert Marc Abrams, professor of forest ecology and physiology at Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences. For brilliant leaves, hope for sunny days with cold crisp nights.
The Rev. Mark Swoger, pastor of Holy Trinity Polish National Catholic Church in Washington, walks hand-in-hand with his wife, Miriam, through the Ebenezer covered bridge in Mingo Creek Park in Nottingham on Wednesday afternoon.“This has been a very complicated year,” he said. “The Pittsburgh area had significantly more drought than we had in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania, and I think the drought is going to be a factor against the best fall colors that are possible. But my guess is that most of your trees held up OK.”
What’s most important, from here on out, is dry weather with night temperatures dipping into the 40s and 30s, but not freezing, said Mr. Abrams, who devoted his career to studying how weather affects fall colors.
“Earlier in September we had some nice, cool temperatures that started to bring out the color. I would like that to continue,” he said. “What would be most worrisome would be a continuation of warm weather into the second week in October and not getting the cool-down that we need.”
Dave Jackson, a forest resources educator with Penn State Extension Service, says that the most spectacular foliage in Pennsylvania is north of Interstate 80, in places such as the Allegheny National Forest. That’s because the hardwoods, such as cherry and sugar maple, that thrive there offer a greater variety of spectacular colors than the duller oaks and predominant red maples in the southern part of the state.
Look for the northern hardwoods to start turning in mid-October, the southern oaks in late October, he said.
“The oaks will have more of the oranges and not so much of the brilliant reds,” he said…
