Wet Summer Weather To Bring Out Beautiful Fall Foliage

A wet summer is predicted to give way to a beautiful spread of fall foliage.

Cookeville Urban Forester Jaime Nunan said the tree’s transition to fall colors typically follows the pattern of the weather. She said when the nights start to get cooler, that’s when the trees go dormant and start losing their chlorophyll.

“The leaves are actually that color year round and what makes them the green color is the chlorophyll that comes in the leaves,” Nunan said. “And that happens during the summer when the leaves are soaking up the water and the sunshine to make their own food while they’re growing. And then in the winter when they go dormant and they’re not growing, all that chlorophyll gets pulled back out of the leaves and it leaves you with that color.”

Nunan said the peak of the season is expected to be the last week of October and the first week of November. She said once the trees start to change, the leaves will typically be dead within four to six weeks.

Nunan said the most colorful native trees are the maples. She said those trees will reflect the autumnal reds, oranges, and yellows.