Weather controls colors of leaves

The summer drought affected the fall colors.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ohio inn owners and shop keepers who rely on leaf-peeping tourists in the fall are hoping that the warm weather won’t rob them of the vibrant colors that bring the visitors.

Warm nights and days in September and a lack of rain all summer are the problem, said Ohio Department of Natural Resources forester Casey Munchel.

“When you do see some color, don’t just sit around,” he said. “Get out and enjoy it, because we don’t know for sure, the way it’s been going, how long it will last.”

Some trees are going dormant early and dropping their leaves to protect themselves from the dry weather.

“That’s telling us the tree is in serious trouble,” said Joe Boggs, with the Ohio State University Extension Service in Hamilton County.

Ohio has several popular fall color spots including the Appalachian foothills and Hocking Hills in the south and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the north.

Leaves are changing earlier than normal and falling in the some areas of the Wayne National Forest in southern Ohio.

“If we get lucky and get some rain, it might be better,” said Tom Thompson, a ranger in the forest. “Now the color is more brown and dingy.”

Peak times

Fall colors peak in northern Ohio usually in early October and hit the central part of the state by mid-October. The show normally blossoms a few weeks later in the south.

There’s sill a chance for some leaf color, but it probably won’t be as striking.

“I think we’ll have a muting effect,” said Bill Creasey, chief naturalist at the Cincinnati Nature Center in Milford. “It will look kind of like an old tapestry hanging on the wall.”

Even if the colors are disappointing, fall foliage tours will go on as planned.

“Even without a lot of leaf color, there is so much to see and do out this way,” said Doug Johnston, a coordinator of the Western Washington County Fall Foliage Tour in October.

Visitors, he said, will still be able to visit covered bridges and antique shops and see barnyard animals.

Sherry McKenney, who owns a bed and breakfast in Adams County, said October is traditionally the busiest month of the year.

“We’re packed right now and have no cancellations,” McKenney said. “Besides, fall is more than just pretty leaves. It’s about pumpkins in the field. And we’re hoping we have crisp weather.”