Interactive Foliage Map

If you live anywhere in New England (or if you're visiting during color season) you can send in reports via Yankee Magazine's interactive foliage map.

Sign up as an "Ambassador" (it's free) and add to the map while keeping an eye on how the fall colors are shaping up. There are also contests and prizes. Later!

Leafpile #7: September 23rd, 2010

Today is the first official day of autumn and as you can see from a recent kayaking trip, the fall colors haven't completely arrived in my part of the state just yet. But it won't be long.

Here's the second round of weekly foliage reports (for northern New England):

Maine - Moderate color change in the northernmost areas of the state (50%) or less). Cooler temperatures and shorter days mean that we'll see changes soon, however.
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New Hampshire - White Mountains are beginning to show color. Some small pockets in the north showing a 25% or less color change, "...but with a frost forecast for this weekend, that could change as early as next week."
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Vermont - 25% towards peak color for much of Vermont, but changes with cooler weather have been noticeable in the past five days alone.
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Raking it all in: I'm heading up to northern Maine this weekend to look for moose and whatever early color there is and I'm going to check out the White Mountains area of NH just after the weekend.

2010 - A New Leaf

Well here we are - on the cusp of another leaf season in New England.

Last winter was quite mild overall by New England standards, with very little snow. This summer was one of the warmest on record for New England, with very little rain. So what kind of a color season are we going to have, anyway?

According to the first foliage report out of Maine (posted today), forestry officials think our leaf season will be "business as usual". The nights are cooler, the daylight shorter. Peak colors will kick in up north (Aroostook County in Maine) beginning in about 10 days.

There is definitely an autumnal bite to the air; it really does feel as though summer has ended in my part of Maine (Bangor region). I've already noticed the telltale scent of woodsmoke drifting through my neighborhood.

Usually September is one of the nicest months in Maine with balmy days, cool nights, fewer tourists and fewer biting insects. (Not to lump tourists and insects together there...sorry.)

A few trees here and there (in my area) are already showing early signs of color change. We'll see how things shake out over the coming days. We are nowhere near peak, however.

Elsewhere:
Vermont reports early color but also not near peak, same with New Hampshire. Early color exists in both states, but with less than 10% color change anywhere, I'm not going to tank up the Toyota just yet.