From foliage, apples to pumpkins, fall looks bright

By Ivylee Rosario

Connecticut offers some of the most beautiful views when it comes to autumn. When picturing what the colors red, orange, purple, and yellow have in common, one thing comes to mind — leaves. This year’s fall foliage looks to be heading in a picturesque direction with a full amount of color in the trees.

According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, fall foliage will peak around Oct. 20 in northern Connecticut and work its way down to southern Connecticut by Nov. 4.

Autumn arrives Saturday at 10:49 a.m. and the season is coming into swing with only minor setbacks from the summer weather that passed. In North America, 2012 was the third hottest summer to date, trailing last year. The only other year that was hotter was during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s.

For the leaves to create that beautiful, vibrant color, several factors come into play, one of them being the ratio of water consumption to sun exposure. Too much rain isn’t always good for fall color. A damp summer can cause the leaves to become diseased. Once the leaves are drenched, they dry up quicker and die when the sun does return, leaving no chance of seeing the bright colors that are hidden underneath.

This year, Connecticut started spring with unexpectedly warm weather. As the leaves emerged, it turned cold and a bit wet, creating some damage for the leaves. But a relatively dry summer followed, which may have turned things around.

“Earlier this year we had some weather issues, but it seems like it didn’t create too much damage,” said David F. Avery, professor of botany at Southern Connecticut State University. “The leaves seem to be doing well this year. From what I’ve seen, it looks like this year we may be getting a nice view when it comes to the autumn. With the last few years lacking when it comes to color, it’s nice to see Connecticut getting back its fall beauty that both tourists and residents are so used to.”

Another contributing factor to healthy leaves is chlorophyll, the molecule that not only turns leaves green, but also is necessary for the photosynthesis process in which sunlight energy is converted into sugar. Chlorophyll needs sunlight for the process to work, and cloudy, rainy conditions can lead to the leaves dying early instead of changing into the autumn colors loved by all.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, leaves also have carotenoids, which produce the yellow, orange and brown colors, and anthocyanins, which produce the reds and purples.

During the growing season, chlorophyll is continually being produced and broken down and leaves appear green. When days get shorter, chlorophyll production slows down, stops and is eventually eliminated from the leaf. This is the time that the carotenoids and anthocyanins are unmasked to reveal their bright, vivid colors.

There were two events last year that sent the foliage season down the drain. The first was Hurricane Irene, which ripped into the state Aug. 28, 2011. Then, whatever leaves were spared got another dose of mortality when a Nor’easter raked Connecticut on Oct. 29, dumping more than a foot of wet snow on upstate forests.

So, by comparison, 2012 is looking pretty good, leaf color prognosticators say.

“We anticipate yet another fantastic foliage season where residents and visitors alike will be treated to one of Connecticut’s most renowned landscape wonders,” said Christopher Martin, director of forestry for the DEEP. “We are confident that the true autumn colors will be on full display this fall throughout the state, with Connecticut offering many different ways to enjoy the season.”

Fruits of the season

Foliage isn’t the only thing ripening in autumn. Crops rely heavily on the correct type of weather to ensure their growth and longevity. Autumn is when the pumpkin- and apple-picking season takes place, bringing families out to pick crops.

Pumpkins grow best in warmer weather, so they should be planted around early summer; they love the sun, but if it gets too hot, then they can rot. Although Connecticut had some days of extreme heat, it did not prove to be bad enough to damage the pumpkin crop.

In fact, pumpkin patch owners in and around Connecticut say have a pretty good crop this year.

“Pumpkins blossom later in the summer, around July and August, so there wasn’t any frost problems for us,” said Irv Silverman, owner of Silverman’s Farm in Easton. “Our pumpkins are fine; actually, they are better than fine, they came out great this season.”

Although most pumpkin farms are doing well, the same cannot be said for apple growth. Like pumpkins, apples need sunlight to flourish but are much more sensitive when it comes to harmful weather.

Although its pumpkins are flourishing, Silverman’s is having a hard time with its apples. During March and April, there was unusually warm weather when the apples start to bloom. Unfortunately, the frost hit right after the swarm of heat, causing most of the apples to go bad.

“Unfortunately for us, this knocked out around 70 percent of our peaches and most of our apples,” said Silverman. “We have enough apples to last us the next two to three weeks, so those are available for people to come and buy, but once we are out that’s it.”

Despite these setbacks, there appears to be a bright and colorful autumn season heading into Connecticut. So keep an eye out for those vibrant reds and bright yellows when driving though the countryside this fall.