TOLEDO, Ohio -
Monday morning's freeze was our first of the fall, and it was about 10 days before our typical first fall freeze (average date: October 18 in Toledo). The peak of fall color, however, remains right on schedule, with the autumn colors approaching their peak over the next two to three weeks.
Chlorophyll is a chemical in leaves that helps photosynthesis occur. It also produces a green color in leaves. As the amount of sunlight decreases with the shortening days of fall, chlorophyll becomes scarce in the leaves, and the green color vanishes, revealing other colors that had been masked during the summer.
Arborists who we have interviewed for news stories in the past tell us that chilly nights and bright, sunny autumn days lead to the most vivid displays of autumn color in Ohio and Michigan. On Monday and Tuesday, our morning lows were 29° and 35° in Toledo. Both afternoons were very bright. We're setting the table for a spectacular peak in leaf color, over the next few weeks.
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