Mother Nature prepares for the coming colder days
Nature seems to be on a rampage these days with the flooding in Texas, the hurricane in Florida and now the fires out west. Closer to home, Mother Nature is in a calmer mood as late September through early November usually produces some really nice weather in our area.
The heat and humidity have faded, replaced with sunny pleasant days and comfortable cool nights. It蘑菇视频 a great time to enjoy the outdoors. Our meadows are full of colorful wildflowers and the forests are getting ready for the annual fall spectacle of color.
Southwestern Pennsylvania is unique since we are at the crossroads of both the northern and southern forests. Add in the colors of the fall leaves, and we are one of the most beautiful places on the planet. When you think about it, only three places in the world compete with our fall beauty: Western Europe, parts of China and New England. The rest of the world just does not have the ingredients to produce the colors we do.
Did you know that the red, orange, yellow and russet colors are in the leaves all summer? Mother Nature produces so much green chlorophyll that it dominates and we see just the green. As the days begin to shorten and the plants receive less sunshine and experience cooler temperatures, the factory produces less chlorophyll, the green fades and the other colors become more dominate. The result of this process is a riot of color, covering our hills and valleys. Incidentally, frost has little or nothing to do with the colors and many times the weight of the frost causes the leaf to snap off and fall to the ground.
Already we are beginning to experience some color in the mountains. A few pockets of color mix with the wildflowers and make for some very pleasant hikes bike rides or drives along our many country roads. The peak color is influenced by a variety of factors. We did have a very intense dry period after a very wet rainy early summer; however, recent rains and plenty of sunshine are setting the stage for a spectacular show.
The actual peak usually occurs in the mountains between the Oct. 10-20 and then spreads quickly into the lower elevation for the later part of October. Like the past few years, the peak is running later than normal and it appears the most intense color will begin this weekend in the mountains to coincide with the Buckwheat Festival in Ohiopyle, and reach peak around the Oct. 20 and then spread into the lower elevations. The weather should cooperate for the festival this weekend with a good bit of sunshine and mild Indian summer-like temperatures. Urban areas usually hold some color even into early November.
Enjoy the show!