Rick Harper Talks Fall Foliage with 'Daily Hampshire Gazette'

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New England is home to a rich variety of trees known for producing vibrant autumn displays. This is thanks in part to a climate suited for dramatic seasonal transitions. 2024 is offering a revival of fall’s brilliance after last year’s unusually wet summer and extreme weather, which dampened fall colors. To mark peak leaf-peeping season, the Daily Hampshire Gazette spoke with extension professor Rick Harper on what we can expect and why:

“'The fall in New England is notoriously beautiful, and we have no reason to doubt that we’re going to have another beautiful fall foliage display this October,' says Rick Harper, a professor of urban forestry at the University of Massachusetts Extension. Achieving those vibrant colors requires a combination of cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours, Harper explains. This triggers a process known as leaf senescence, where plants lose their chlorophyll, the compound that makes leaves green and helps plants absorb energy from sunlight, revealing oranges, reds, and yellows."

— The Daily Hampshire Gazette

Click here to read more in the Daily Hampshire Gazette and to view an interactive fall foliage map.