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Can State Expect Bright Autumn?
By
Carol L. Spence
 LEXINGTON, Ky., (Oct. 10, 2007) – Ask anyone. Chances are
they’ll say the only color they’re seeing lately is brown –
brown from dust, dead grass and dried up gardens. The continued
hot weather and dry conditions across the state can make anyone
question whether or not there will be anything worth seeing this
fall. But hope might be in the air – or at least in the
shortening days.
According to Doug McLaren, University of Kentucky forestry
specialist, the length of days has more bearing on when fall
color appears than temperature or moisture, though the latter
two do play roles in the amount of color.
“The shorter days activate a ‘chemical clock,’ which tells trees
to shut down chlorophyll production in preparation for winter,”
he said. “That will happen, regardless of rainfall or
temperature.”
Shorter days trigger the formation of a layer of cork cells at
the base of each leaf. This restricts the flow of water and
minerals into the leaf, which means that spent chlorophyll, the
green pigment in foliage, cannot be replaced. As chlorophyll
dies, it no longer masks other pigments present in the leaf.
Voila! Suddenly a green leaf is transformed to orange or yellow.
The amount of light also affects color brilliance. The
production of one group of leaf pigments, the anthocyanins, is
dependent on the breakdown of sugars in the presence of bright
light in late summer.
“The brighter the light, the more anthocyanins are produced and
the more brilliant the color,” McLaren said.
So that sounds like good news for those ‘fallophiles’ out there
who hunger for drives along boldly colored country roads. But
wait, there’s something else to consider.
“The brightest colors develop when autumn days are sunny and
cool, along with nights that are chilly, but not freezing,”
McLaren said.
That doesn’t sound encouraging for a year when October’s daytime
temperatures still hover along the 90-degree border and nights
are reminiscent of late June. This year, because of the extreme
summer and fall we’ve experienced, McLaren doesn’t hold out much
hope for a radiant autumn.
“I think the total luster of all the colors is going to be a lot
duller,” he said.
Typically, fall color moves from east to west across the state.
The latest fall foliage map from the Kentucky Department of
Tourism indicates that certain pockets in the far eastern part
of the state, the south central region and central region
centering around Jefferson County are showing a 21 percent to 40
percent move toward peak color, while the rest of the state
still remains in the 8 to 20 percent range.
High season for the best fall color in the state typically is in
the middle of October. In the best of years, autumn foliage in
Kentucky would be hard put to find rivals.
“Because we in Kentucky have such a diverse climate and soil
composition,” McLaren said, “many tree species common to both
northern and southern states grow here. This provides a variety
of fall colors.”
McLaren is predicting that the best weekends to hit Kentucky
country roads and parks will be Oct. 13-14 and Oct. 20-21. And
even if crisp autumn-like temperatures haven’t arrived by then,
perhaps the sight of red or yellow dotting a hillside will make
us feel a little of fall’s comfort.
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Contact: Doug McLaren, 859-257-2703
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of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
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to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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