September 11, 2002

On this day, which marks one year from one of the most tragic events of humankind, our thoughts go out to all those affected by that unspeakable act. The outpouring of support that resulted should show the world our strength and resolve. I am fortunate and honored to call myself an American and am grateful to be living in the greatest country in the world.

While most of the Northeast is experiencing very low color (1%-10%), a few areas have crossed into the low color range (11%-30%). These areas include the crown of Maine and higher elevations of the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains of New York as well as a small area in central Vermont. Throughout the Northeast, some of the show-offs (trees which typically display early color) are giving us a beautiful preview of the upcoming foliage season.

Leaf drop, as expected this early in the season, is not an issue. The exception being some of the distressed trees heavily affected by the drought. Some of these trees have already dropped some of their foliage. Keep in mind, however, that these trees are the exception rather than the rule.

Take a look at this leaf. It gives a good portrait of the foliage process. As the fall progresses, the leaves stop producing chlorophyll (green pigment). This leaf is providing us with a great picture of this. Notice the only deep green remaining is surrounding the primary veins (see arrows). The other green coloration is now faded. On the right side of the leaf, almost all of the chlorophyll has vanished, making way for the other pigments (many of which have been present in the leaf since spring) to show. In this case, we are looking at a maple leaf, which possesses red, orange and yellow pigments.

This information provided by Marek D. Rzonca, The Foliage Network.

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