Weird season - my thoughts

[snowboarder]

Guys, I'm not an expert, but I've been here for a week and have made some observations.
Crazy season. Started sooner and with a bang. But because of the warm/dry weather it accelerated
and the progress has been super fast. A great looking tree in front of our hotel in Quebec started
getting red on the first day when we checked in. Three days later (!) it was past peak losing leaves fast.
I'm a photographer and I want fresh saturated colors. It's not the case anymore. Even if you have areas
with green, there is plenty of trees everywhere losing leaves. Patches of green around tons of brown.
TONS of brown, not yellow trees around. When you look at any hill, there is more brown/dead patches
then real yellow patches. Red is almost gone.
It was AMAZING for a few days and we are super happy we were able to come and observe this.
But seriously I have doubts there will be anything worth seeing in just a few days. Even the areas being "early"
are not gonna be saturated colorful. There will be some color, but mixed with tons of dried out browns.
I would never guess a season might be so fast, so accelerated...

[ctyanky]

I think some of your observations are justified. However, lower central VT and southern VT are still coming along very well and there is still hope for a sudden frost. Charles (ixl) made a good point in another post that we may have a split season. We had one a couple of years ago and the second "split" made for some gorgeous foliage in southern VT which many folks raved about. It may have been 3 years ago.

So the warm, dry weather is certainly a factor in what you described. It may shorten the season but I think the colors in central and southern VT should be just fine.

Anyone else have any ideas?

[snowboarder]

I made a Waitsfield loop today (17 and Lincoln GAP) and I'm in Woodstock. All looking exactly as described.
Not sure how it is further South, but around here it's all the same. Colorful from far away,
but not really saturated and mostly brownish...

[wxman1976]

Well in the next 10 days we will have 2 good cold shots coming. The warm pattern is just about over. The first shot will come this weekend and even reach all the way to Florida. After a brief moderation another cold shot arrives midweek. We may not get frosts but Monday and Tuesday highs may struggle to get out of the 50s with lows in the upper 30s. I don't see a return to the warm pattern through mid October. So there's a little hope for ya!

[ixl]

Based on the NY and Maine reports I just read, I'm expecting this entire season to be pretty much over nearly everywhere by a week from now. Poor weather, still no real cold -- we should be getting lows in the 20s at this point and haven't -- and I think that's all she wrote.

I had to delay my planned trip by a week but I think by October 13 there's not going to be anything to see.

[wxman1976]

Finding that elusive peak in any given season is tricky but between the NEK and the Cape Cod and RI/CT shoreline peak foliage can last as long as a month Sometimes you need to be creative. While Vermont is known for her foliage, all of New England is beautiful in the fall, so sometimes you need to think out of the box. I have also seen many years where the foliage is awful in one area and brilliant a few miles away. SO DON'T GIVE UP!!! One think you can always count on is Mother Nature is fickle and there are surprises around every corner! So enjoy the foliage and camaraderie.

[equinox71]

Hey there Snowboarder,

While I empathize with some of your observations, I think you might be tacking a little "hard" on Mother Nature. I'm kinda with wxman1976, ctyanky and mmvt: You gotta have some perspective over the seasons, and appreciate what is there.

I've been a life-long New Englander, with 10 years thrown in the middle in Wyoming and Utah (homes of glorious golden aspen and cottonwood groves . I can tell you that-- from beginning my northern New England leaf-observing sojourns in late August this summer up in Maine, NEK, and Connecticut Lakes, and progressing through the Stowe/ Montpelier/ and Dartmouth-Sunapee areas in NH this past week (basically along I-89 through yesterday)-- I have seen miracles and glories of color to rival ANY other year... ANY other spot in North America (and that includes Quebec, Ontario and Alaskan forests and mountainsides).

Granted, reds came on a bit early, there are unusual pockets of green and brown in places, and the timing of change to maximize contrasting colors might be slightly "different" in certain locations. But all in all, my friends and I have been elated with and inspired by what the universe has blessed any of us fortunate enough to even experience a FEW days of this season so far.

Call me "weird" , but it has been my favorite autumn season so far on this dear earth. And I still see a LOT of blazing, full colors everywhere I turn. Peace and continued grand discoveries to you, Snowboarder, and all our fellow living-nature-lovers here on the boards!

Stay well,
Alex aka equinox71