Written By Alan Good
TRAVEL - If you are planning a fall ride to view the colourful autumn leaves, you may be disappointed. It appears summer has clung on and with it more dry days and warmer nights. We haven’t had cooler fall air, especially at night, which brings frost aiding trees with colour.
Or it could be we went north a little early this year.
The lacklustre backdrop to farm fields and Ontario’s north in general left us feeling like we hadn’t read the calendar correctly. Was it October 5? But checking the picturesque monthly timer on the kitchen wall we saw it was indeed fall.
After all, pumpkins are out, Halloween decorations adorn some homes, and mums are in abundance at stores and properties everywhere. Why, Christmas was being set up in some stores!
So, what’s with the lack of paint. Where are the vibrant colours—the reds, yellows, and oranges. Driving east on highway 7 to Wildwood Lake, little to no colour was seen. On to Stratford, we turned northwest toward Michell, through Seaforth, where we experienced the first real leaf colours. Clinton had some, however Benmiller displayed the most that day. On the way home, some colours were seen along Lake Huron.
Even further north, in Algonquin Park, beautiful, coloured, scenery was lacking, as my daughter was to discover. One person who has a cottage in the Haliburton area stated trees lacked colour and had turned brown mostly due to the hot and dry summer.
“Lack of rain, or drought, negatively affects fall foliage by stressing trees, causing earlier and less vibrant color changes, and potentially leading to premature leaf drop. When trees are dry, they conserve water and enter dormancy earlier, resulting in a shorter, duller fall foliage season with muted colors and quicker leaf loss,” stated one authority.
Trees literally shut down, going into a dormant state to conserve resources. Leaves drop sooner than usual shortening the period when peak fall colors are visible. We have not had a combination of sunny days and consistently cool, frost-free nights that trap sugars in the leaves, which boosts the vibrant reds and purples.
If you observe widespread and early leaf color changes, which fall out quicker than usual, it’s a strong indicator that trees are under stress from drought. Perhaps if you venture out in a week or so, or go further north, colours will please. However, it appears that, in our region, it will be a quick and colour deficient fall.
