Forested hillsides usually riotous with reds, oranges and yellows have shown their colors only grudgingly in recent years, with many trees going straight from the dull green of late summer to the rust-brown of late fall with barely a stop at a brighter hue.This is not good news at all… Who doesn’t love and appreciate the colors of autumn?!?! Growing up in Michigan, the leaves changing color has always been something I have taken for granted and yet also always looked forward to. It is hard to believe that we could actually not experience this any longer. I highly recommend taking a drive through northern Michigan, or wherever you can find colorful trees, and enjoy the beauty.
The science behind leaf-color change and how global warming is altering it is explained here:
Colors emerge on leaves in the fall, when the green chlorophyll that has dominated all spring and summer breaks down. The process begins when shorter days signal leaves to form a layer at the base of their stems that cuts off the flow of water and nutrients. But in order to hasten the decline of chlorophyll, cold nights are needed. In addition, warmer autumns and winters have been friendly to fungi that attack some trees, particularly the red and sugar maples that provide the most dazzling colors. "The leaves fall off without ever becoming orange or yellow or red. They just go from green to brown," said Barry Rock, a forestry professor at the University of New Hampshire.
