Why climate change is making it harder to chase fall foliage

Why climate change is making it harder to chase fall foliage

Wind whips the hair of two visitors taking in the view at the Indian Head vista overlooking Lower Ausable Lake in the Adirondacks, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, near Keene Valley, N.Y. According to the state's fall foliage report, colors in many parts of the state's mountain regions are now at peak. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

(AP) — Recent leaf-peeping seasons have been disrupted by weather conditions in New England, New York and elsewhere. Arborists and ecologists say the trend is likely to continue as the planet warms. The leaves have been subjected to droughts that cause leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach peak color. There have also been heat waves prompting leaves to fall before autumn even arrives, and extreme weather events that strip trees of their leaves altogether. The warming is also pushing back the start of the foliage season in some parts of the country.

Photo: Wind whips the hair of two visitors taking in the view at the Indian Head vista overlooking Lower Ausable Lake in the Adirondacks, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, near Keene Valley, N.Y. According to the state’s fall foliage report, colors in many parts of the state’s mountain regions are now at peak. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)