Colors are influenced by the sugars in the leaves. A totally dry summer will result in little late season sap and little sugar in it and little color. A very wet summer will result in dilute sap, and little sugar, and little color. A long period of relatively hot moist days will bring up the sugars and, if followed by a cold snap to "set" the sugars, will yield good color. Like Goldilocks, it has to be "just right" to have sap with concentrated sugars to produce the most brilliant colors.
I have lived in areas, like the one I am living in now, where the variety of trees produce very nice colors. Ironically, however, only once in my life was I overwhelmed with the beauty of a glistening and irridescent sensory overload of colors, colors so brilliant that it looked like someone painted way to much color onto a canvas. It literally did not look real. Was it here? In the mountains? New England? No. It was October, 1994 riding on a little state road that follows the river from Peoria to Ottawa Illinois for about 45 miles. Nowhere else on that flat corn belt stretch was there more than a hint of color. But down in that narrow river valley, maybe 100' below the table top flat land that covers mile after mile of north central Illinois, the rainbow ran amuck. NEVER had I seen anything like it, and never again anywhere. Obviously, Sue and I went back the next year, same time, same road, same time of day, etc. It was totally ordinary.
An amazing glimpse of heaven..........
Monte
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