If you are planning your own driving tour this fall, or if you are just interested in keeping up with the changing colors, below are a number of web sites that you should find useful.
Speaking of fall foliage, here's a basic question that your child may soon be asking you, but for which you don't have the answer.
Why do the Leaves Change Colors in the Fall?
Basically, leaves change colors when trees stop producing the pigment chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. During the spring and summer months, a food-making process takes place in the leaf. The chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight and uses it in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates. Leaves also contain yellow or orange pigments, but these are masked most of the year by the greater amount of green coloring . In the fall, the decrease in intensity and shorter hours of sunlight and the changes in temperatures cause the leaves to stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the other pigments already in the leaf become visible.The brilliance of colors you see every fall is directly related to the weather conditions that occur before and during the time the chlorophyll in the leaves is decreasing. When the days of fall are bright and cool, and the nights are chilly but not freezing, the brightest colorations usually develop. Adequate rainfall also keeps the leaves on the trees longer and enhances the color.
National, Regional, and State Sites
State-by-State Guide to Fall Colors - Here you'll find links to web site for various states, as well as toll-free foliage hotlines, where available.Foliage Network - Provides online reports twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday) from September through November. Covers the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest.
National Forest Service - usually a primary source of information on fall foliage throughout the United States. Fall Color Hotline: 800-354-4595
The Weather Channel - fall color map of the US.
New England Foliage Central - lots of regional information from About Guide Kim Knox Beckius.
Fall Color in the Southwestern United States - lots of regional information from About Guide Elizabeth Mitchell.
Yankee Magazine's New England.com Foliage Central - a variety of resources for celebrating the fall season in New England.
The Science of Fall Colors
Chemistry of Autumn Colors - learn about molecular change and leaf pigments from About.com's Guide to Chemistry.
Preserving Autumn Leaves - learn how to collect and preserve colored leaves from the Tri-Cities Herald in Washington State
Foliage Cams/Photos
University of Illinois - provides live photos of fall foliage in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests - includes six live web cams throughout the state.
Pictures of Foliage Trees - see fall foliage pictures of various species of maple, birch, dogwood, oak, and other trees.
