A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column and blog lamenting how climate change / global warming was likely to make our leaves less eye-poppingly gorgeous in years to come. As part of it I talked about how the warm September was delaying leaf change this year, which meant it would probably be less wonderful.
Boy, was I wrong. Yes leaf-peeping was late, but the colors were as fine in my part of the state (along the Merrimack River) as I’ve seen in many years. Just fabulous.
It didn’t hurt that the weather has been clear and sunny, day after day, because that’s the lighting which makes leaves look nice. But even so, there were plenty of the reds, oranges and purples that make New England forests stand out and which are most at risk.
So forgive my gloom and doom.
At least as far as 2015 goes, that is. Long term, the bet is still that things will get duller in future Octobers.
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