September’s Arrival Heralds Worries About Fall Colors
The fall colors are on the way, we hope!
Well, I’m going through my article on the Top signs that fall has arrived in New England, and I may have to change the order in which my article has them listed. since I seem to be on # 8 on the list (Dunkin’ brings back their pumpkin flavors. AND pumpkin flavored everything!) But the #10 honking geese overhead has not been noted yet…But #1 will be coming in a couple of weeks.
What we should be seeing in September
Since I started searching for fall colors back in the late 90’s, I have seen good years, mediocre, and bad years. It’s not something that you or I can put our finger on and say Z, Y, and Z happened so this WILL be a great fall foliage season. But as I look back on the previous winter, spring, and summer, the indicators are there.
We can look at the snowpack in winter and the reservoirs. Were the amounts of rain and snow sufficient? Did we have a cool and wet spring? Was the summer cool and wet, hot and dry, or TOO dry? Did we get a good hot summer? In August, the 90s broke and dropped into the low 80s about mid-month, and we started to see very pleasant 70s before September 1st.
All of this matters!
As to the current September (whenever you are reading this) I’m looking at the checklist in blue above. All those factors WILL happen in random combinations, each factor impacts what we get in September through October as far as the fall colors. This is all RANDOM… I know you’d like it to be A+B=C, hard and fast… When its more dipsy doodle math. A – 1/2 • 6(B) №5‰+3/4×C=maybe… good fall colors
In any given September, the pain points are…
I only worry about a few things (Notice I didn’t say panicked). My concerns are when I see TOO much of any one event. Too much rain is just as bad as not enough rain. The trees react most positively when we have balance in our weather. In MY opinion, a good strong winter with a deep snowpack. A rainy spring but not rain every day. A good warm-up in spring but not a false sprint where the trees start budding and then we get a hard freeze. The trees will put out new leaves but the fall colors will suffer for it.
A hot summer is ok if we get periods of rain to keep the trees happy. (Happy means strong leaves and good colors) About mid-August the summer high temps break and start dropping as we approach September.
Just to make it more confusing!!!
Everywhere you go in New England (really this applies to the world in general) but you only have to go a few miles in any direction and you will get different weather conditions throughout the year. Whether a hillside faces the dawn or catches the afternoon sun it matters. Maybe this hillside is north-facing or a southern exposure, it matters. Whether it is higher elevation or down in the valley, it matters.
This is why you will not find me being specific about when and where the fall colors will be the best! Because at best it’s a crap shoot. The odds are against me at the best of times.
The good side of it all…
The fall colors WILL happen to whatever degree and by this, I mean that the main factor that starts the process is the shortening of the days. Heat, rain, cold, and drought are factors but the amount of sunlight is what starts it all. If this changes, then we have bigger issues than the quality of the fall colors
You can vary these factors and still get fabulous fall colors. I find if you get lots of bright sunny days and lots of sugars in the leaves you will get some of the best fall colors.But, Mother Nature can be very fickle. As much as I keep telling her what I want she tends to disregard my wants and gives me something else. Overall we usually have a good autumn. It may not be what you wanted based on where you put yourself but somewhere else it was spectacular. (Look at 2024, less than stellar in New Hampshire and Vermont but very good in Central Massachusetts).
So I’m heading out on the deck for my 2nd cup of coffee and I think I’ll throw a pumpkin spice K-cup in the Keurig and sit out on the deck in the warm sunshine and enjoy the sunshine. I may long for the fall colors of autumn, but I’m not all that interested in what follows any more than any of you.
Happy foliage explorations my leaf-peeping friends!
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
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I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the session.yesterday. Yum !
And you didn’t share??? 🙁
The last line of your message said it all.
Fall = Wonderful
The season after fall (the W word) = Ick!
Regarding the pumpkin flavors coming out this time of year, don’t forget about my personal favorite – The pumpkin blizzard at D Q!
Cheryl
That sounds heavenly! I haven’t had any ice cream in a while…
I had my first pumpkin beers this weekend! Early for me! I am also relieved that my stay up in Northern Vermont and New Hampshire is September 25-27th this year. It seems it might be perfect timing up that way! 🙂
I’m heading up on the 15th and the 26th to scout around, and hoping for the best…
Absolutely love the Autumn and everything about it. This year I think I’m going to add a new twist. I think I’m going to take my wife of 33 years back to the town I grew up in as a boy and just walk some of the streets in the cool, crisp air and falling leaves. It will probably (almost certainly) conjur up memories of days long gone. Then, we’ll go to her hometown and do the same. It will likely be the basis of some deep conversation.
Sounds good and I think it will be interesting to see who has the more interesting stories…
My first trip ever to the New England states and I will be there Sept. 26- Oct. 3. Hoping for the most spectacular color ever. Due to husband’s work schedule we’ve never been able to travel in the Fall. This is my favorite time of year and the first year we get to travel. My dream trip has been to be in the middle of all the awesome beauty of the photos u take. After researching the best Fall folliage to see, your area was a no brainer! We are from Texas and my husband doesn’t understand why we have to go 2000 miles to see the leaves change. Hoping the color is as breath taking as your photos so I can get my point across. Can’t wait to be there. Loving Gods beautiful creations! Kelly P.
Well those dates in Northern VT and NH should bring you really good if not great fall colors. This year we are fighting a drought and at the end of this week we’ll be getting some rain but it’s almost to the point where we don’t want too much more… I think you will be able to wow him though… Let me know how it goes! Also keep up on the Facebook page
Hi Jeff! I found your webpage while researching when the colors will change for this fall 2015. My partner and I are thinking about planning a trip to Falmouth, MA so I can meet his family and see where he grew up and also we are planning to take a scenic road trip around Vermont where we will camp along the way. (Any suggestions for scenic roads where we could camp would be so helpful).
We were looking at traveling through Vermont around Oct.14-20, 2015. I have never been to Vermont or have seen the fall colors before and am very excited to feel and see the beauty that the fall has to share. 🙂 I am from Northern California in the foothills south of Lake Tahoe. Is that a good time to see the colors or will we miss them? I have no idea how to plan this so we are there at the right time. Any help and guidance is very welcome…
We are seriously considering moving to Vermont and we want to get a general feel for the state and how perfect is the fall to see Vermont in all it’s beauty!
Thanks,
Namrata
Hi Jeff. We’re coming from L.A. On the 5th and we’ll spend 3 days in southern VT before heading to the Maine coast for another 3 days. Any recommendations for costal color in mid to southern Maine?
Hi Jennifer, You might want to push just a little further north to a more central VT location. You could pick Manchester VT as this is a pretty little college town and nearby is Hildene, the Todd Lincoln home and that is interesting to explore (search hildene on this site) you can go up the road (route 7) to Danby and the Silas Griffith Inn, very nice and rustic. Tell Kathy that I sent you. I don’t know if will get you more than a giggle but you never know… North of that is a bigger town of Rutland (more urban as ski towns go). You can jump on Route 100 to see the small towns along 100 that will have B&Bs (not many hotels) From here north your are in Central VT and you can look at Woodstock $$$ or outside Woodstock $$, depends on your budget… I hope this helps.
Hi Jeff, we are another family from LA travelling to beautiful New England from Oct 3 – Oct 6th. We are planning to stay in Stowe, and N Conway. I would like to know from you if we will see near peak colors during that time in those areas, or if we need to drive up north (or east or west!). Thanks!
Hi Pradeep, I think I’ve heard from you before or there is someone who has visited this site with your rather uncommon name. 🙂 I think you will be good for dates. I think the colors are going to be early but not so early that you’ll miss anything… I would do Stowe first and then Conway due to the different elevations.
Hi! Thank you for all your lovely posts and info!
I apologize if I’m not seeing where you’ve already addressed this or putting together the information correctly, and I also realize it’s not your main area, but would you be able to give me an estimate on when you would expect peak season for the lower Hudson Valley to occur – as much as anyone can, of course? 😉 We have an October trip planned for 10/23-25, but I was thinking about changing it to 10/9-11. We actually live fairly close to the place we’re going, and I can see leaves are already starting to change – but unfortunately I think they’re more being cooked than anything else. I worry that the 23rd will be too late, and the 9th too early. By my own estimates, the weekend of the 16th would be best but we have other plans that weekend.
ANY insight would be GREATLY appreciated.
Best wishes, and thank you again,
Rachel
Thanks for your input, Jeff!