A local forestry expert said the dry weather the past few weeks will likely lead to vibrant leaf colors in the coming weeks.
The Upper Cumberland had a wet spring, then a wet summer, and then it turned dry heading into the fall season. Area Forester Jeff Thompson said that it is the perfect layout as leaves really need a balance of dry and wet weather.
“If that drought had continued, we wouldn’t have had very vibrant colors,” Thompson said. “And then the same token, if we just keep getting rain all fall, that would cause some insects and diseases to attack the leaves, and we wouldn’t get very vibrant colors either. It needs to be a good balance.”
Thompson said we can expect leaves to turn yellow, red, orange, and purple around mid-October. Thompson said leaves tend to change colors as sunlight decreases.
“The weather is changing, and it’s getting cooler and less sunlight, so they are not doing photosynthesis as efficiently, so they just drop out and drop those leaves, and they just take the chlorophyll, the green color back, and all the other colors that are sitting behind that during the regular year pop up.”
Many may wonder why different trees produce different colored leaves during the fall season. Thompson said it varies due to the tree species and environment.
“Oaks are more hearty, and they can grow in drier environments, so they have kind of a bronze color, and then the hickory is a similar kind of has a yellow color,” Thompson said. “Then kind of your species that grow in more wet environments like Poplar, Red Maples, they can tend to have a more vibrant color.”
Thompson said temperature will play a factor in leaf color. Thompson said cool nights are very helpful in having vibrant leaf colors.