Leaves are changing colors differently in New York this fall. Blame the weather, experts say.
It's almost peak leaf peeping season in the New York City area, when the colors of fall are seen in full, but it's looking a little different this year.
Recent weather patterns are causing leaves to change earlier and into different autumn colors, according to nature experts.
Trees are showing signs of stress
Upstate in Lake Placid, New York, near-peak fall colors pop against the tranquility of Mirror Lake, making the journey driving through the Adirondacks on I-87 much more enjoyable.
About 70 miles north of the city, the burning red of Virginia creeper plants and maroon of dogwood trees enhance the already breathtaking scenery at the Testimonial Gateway in the Mohonk Preserve in Ulster County.
"We're seeing a lot of changes in late September, which is way earlier than normal," said Niamh Keane, an ecological field technician at the preserve.
According to Keane, abnormally dry conditions and unseasonable warmth put stress on the trees, and it shows. Stressed trees have leaves that are browned and curled up, she said.
"That causes them to change their leaves early and drop them a little earlier than in previous years," she said.
"This year might be a little bit more muted than previous years," said John Zeiger, who manages the New York Botanical Garden's Thain Family Forest.
Once more, Zeiger said lack of rain is to blame.
Gov. Kathy Hochul enacted an outdoor burn ban statewide until at least Oct. 15 because of the dry conditions.
A weather-dependent chemical reaction
Leaves get their green color in the spring and summer because of chlorophyll, which breaks down in the fall, revealing the leaves' true colors. Those colors come from two main pigment types: carotenoids and anthocyanins.
Carotenoids produce yellow and orange hues, which already exist in leaves. But anthocyanins boost reds and purples, which can only be created by a chemical reaction.
"That's the pigment that's much more weather-dependent," Zeiger said. "If there's moist soil, we're gonna get more of those, some of the darker colors in leaves, some of the reds and purples."
The Botanical Garden's fall foliage tracker shows little color now, but peak leaf peeping in the city is likely less than one month away.
"I would wxpect a late October, early November peak," Zeiger said.
It's already here in the Catskills and will arrive soon at Mohonk Preserve.
"I'm pretty sure it will be between October 7 and October 13," Keane said.
Despite the dry conditions, the colors this season will still be gorgeous, nature experts say.