A funny thing happened on the way to the predicted drab fall colors.
The colors of the changing foliage turned out to be magnificent, despite the warnings that the summer-long drought would be a drag on things.
“Initially we felt we’d see fall color early because of the hot and dry weather, but reports from foresters around the states show the trees don’t agree with that theory,” Paul Tauke, Iowa Department of Natural Resources forestry bureau chief, told the Waterloo Courier.
It turns out that the hot, dry weather favors red colors. Here’s a good explanation of the science of it all from the CBC.
Meanwhile, Scientific American claims today that climate change could delay fall foliage. They should look out the window.