9-18-2024 10:27pm

Fall Foliage Colors Fading Fast

Beth Callahan Editor

Nature Close to Home and Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Dave Woehr shares monthly naturalist stories.

LEBANON, OH -- The drought we are experiencing this year is impacting plant and animal life throughout our area. It was way back in 1963 when we had a September this dry. My lawn hasn’t had to be mowed in three weeks.

My backyard Buckeye tree went from fully leafed-out and green to completely bare-limbed in just one week. Its leaves changed daily from green to yellow, to tan, to gold, to brown, to GONE. Other trees are showing color changes early and the leaves from some are already coming down like snowflakes. Corn and soybean crops are expected to be below normal this year. And the state fire marshal has issued a ban on outdoor burning in many parts of Ohio.

The lack of rain is not only affecting plant life, but animal life as well. Yesterday I saw a sparrow drinking from the condensate drain of an air conditioner! My backyard birdbath is getting more visits from bees and squirrels than usual. And the birds are spending lots of time splashing around in it like kids in a bathtub.

There’s not a lot of hope for rain in the foreseeable future. I’m afraid our trees will continue to change color and drop well ahead of when we would normally expect them to. Leaves would ordinarily come into peak color about the third week of October. Because of the drought I’m afraid that may not happen this year.

If you want to see colorful leaves this fall, I recommend not waiting. Start checking your favorite leaf-peeping hot spots now. Often the best leaf colors can be found on trees rooted on steep slopes leading down to the edge of a stream or lake.