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It鈥檚 Thursday, Oct. 5. Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 on deck:
- Outsized carbon pollution
- The bats mating at a superfund site
- Partial solar eclipse
But first,
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Peak leaf peeping
Right now, the state鈥檚 trees are putting on a show. And for all the attention it gets, fall foliage is a bit of a mystery to scientists. Every year, they never know exactly how it's going to play out because of variables like rainfall and temperature. We turned to forest ecologist , from the University of Vermont to learn more.
馃暟锔� How do trees know it鈥檚 time to drop their leaves?
- the length of daylight
- the difference between daytime and nighttime temps
Trees start shutting down when 鈥渨e still have warm days, but the night times are getting cool and crisp, but still above freezing,鈥� Keeton said.
馃崅 What鈥檚 behind the colors? As trees get ready for winter, they absorb energy reserves from their leaves and store it in their roots.
- 馃挌 鈥淭he chlorophyll in leaves, which makes them appear green to us, begins to degrade and to break down, and it reveals these other chemicals that have also been in the leaf all summer long, but have been invisible to our eyes.鈥�
- 馃挍 Chemicals called flavonoids and carotenoids produce yellows and oranges.
- 鉂わ笍 Some trees produce another group of chemicals called anthocyanins. These give us the deep reds and purples in species like maples and oaks.
馃悯 Why Vermont has such great fall foliage:
- Tree diversity: 鈥淲e have so many different species, and they grow in all different combinations across the landscape. That gives us the full array of color combinations and potentials.
- Topography: 鈥淯p higher, we'll get the foliage earlier. And the places down low, where the nighttimes remain warm longer, we鈥檒l get the foliage a little bit later.鈥�
馃摀 What factors influence the foliage season:
- 馃サ Drought. In really dry years, you see less colorful leaves and trees drop their leaves earlier.
- 馃毧 In wet years, saturated soils stress trees and their ability to produce colors. This fall, Keeton says there鈥檚 been more early browning of leaves, and trees are dropping leaves earlier than normal.
- 馃 Rainy, wet conditions can also spread tree diseases. Black splotches or patches on leaves - that鈥檚 fungus.
馃實 How climate change is impacting Vermont鈥檚 foliage season:
- #1: Extreme climate conditions like drought, or too much rain are stressful, causing trees to drop their leaves early and dampen or mute the overall intensity of the color on the landscape.
- #2: Our falls are warmer, longer. Even though trees have dropped leaves early, in some cases, the actual reveal of this color is coming later and later.
"So, the arrival of the foliage season seems to be coming later. What that means is that climate change compresses the overall length of the fall foliage season.鈥�
馃崄 Go peep some leaves:
- 馃椇锔� The state provides foliage forecasts . Yankee Magazine. And shows the whole country.
- 馃椉See peak foliage from a peak: Vermont has 13 fire towers that are open to the public, of nearly 40 that were built here in the early 1900s.
鉁╓e also asked the 开云体育 staff for recs. Here's what they said:
- App Gap on Route 17 and Lincoln Gap Road
- Drive up the Stowe Toll Road 鈥渨ith a beautiful, non-arduous, 3-mile hiking loop at the top of Mansfield with amazing views鈥�
- Aldis Hill Park at Hard'ack in Saint Albans
- The Cantilever Rock Trail near Underhill
- The Pinnacle in Westminster
In other news
馃 The second-highest climate polluter in New England (per capita)? Our brave little state. Vermont is behind only NH and PA in leading per person throughout the northeast. That鈥檚 largely because of the long distances Vermonters drive and the carbon-intensive heating fuels they use 鈥� particularly fuel oil and propane. The state is legally required to change this ranking going forward, thanks to a law setting statewide emission standards . Recent modeling , but 2030 isn鈥檛 looking so good.
馃捀 Momentum to divest from fossil fuel investments: Lawmakers have been toying with the idea of divesting Vermont鈥檚 pension fund from fossil fuel companies for years. Now a plan has the support of the state treasurer, and a bill is that could come to a vote next session. The proposal includes a long timeline 鈥� as far out as 2040.
馃サ鈽� The warmest it's been since 1891: That's the record the state broke this week when the Burlington airport , and it鈥檚 now the all-time record high temperature for October in Vermont. This week, hot air traveled from the Southern U.S. also reaching Canada, which is , including . Another record smashed? Vermont had its 鈥� with over 21 inches of rain between June and August. Much of .
馃尵 4% of Vermont is wetlands: And most of that land is protected from development. That鈥檚 despite a SCOTUS ruling earlier this year that removed federal regulations protecting wetlands across the country, in a case that significantly narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act. In Vermont, state law provides protection, but that鈥檚 not the case in every state.
In your backyard
Get out there
馃Β Party at Dead Creek: At the wildlife management area in Addison, state agencies and local wildlife groups are hosting a day of bird banding, soap carving, deer processing, and walks through the clay-rich forest on Saturday, Oct. 7. This time of year, thousands of snow geese are also at the wildlife management area as a stopover on their journey south.
馃ゾ Take a hike: The Green Mountain Club is hosting on Saturday, Oct. 7 that range from easy (and toddler friendly) to difficult. They set off between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Free to join and they鈥檒l send out carpooling and hike details when you register.
馃槑 Catch a partial solar eclipse: It peaks Saturday, Oct. 14 just before 1:30 p.m. and lasts around two hours in total. is hosting a viewing with the Vermont Astronomical Society and physics students at UVM. They'll demonstrate 鈥渁 variety of sun-safe viewing techniques, including sun-oculars, telescope projections, and eclipse glasses" and livestream the full eclipse over the American Southwest. Admission is $18 for adults. Consider this a warm up for April.
馃悽 Save the turtles: Every year, state biologists organize a beach clean up to help maintain nesting sites for turtles by clearing weeds and willows from the shore. You might find baby spiny softshell turtles, map turtles, painted turtles, and snapping turtles that are still underground, and biologists will bring hatchling turtles that were raised in captivity.
馃彏锔� Jay Peak film fest: The Wild & Scenic Film Festival has stories from all over the country world, featuring plenty of animals, beautiful landscapes as well as advocacy, science, restoration work and more. . Admission is $15. The evening before, on Friday, Oct. 13 is a free screening of a film about Lake Champlain at 8:30 p.m. with a Q+A with the filmmaker.
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开云体育's biweekly dose of all things environment.
Thanks for reading! If you have ideas for events we should feature, critters, fungi or plants you want to learn more about, or other feedback, we'd love to hear from you! Just email us.
Credits: This week鈥檚 edition was put together by Brittany Patterson and Lexi Krupp with lots of help from the 开云体育 team, including graphics by Laura Nakasaka.
