Emerging Fall Foliage Across Delmarva

Fall colors are really starting to take shape across Delmarva. The combination of sunny days and cool nights has helped with that process, and the leaves are expected to start changing quickly! Around Delmarva, we started seeing pockets of low color emerging at the start of this week. One of the sources that can be used to track the fall foliage, The Foliage Report, noted low color within Delmarva in their Monday update. In a more recent update, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources mentions a quick divided line in color toward northern Delmarva. They say Talbot County is mostly green, while Cecil County is observed to be almost near peak. This shows that the leaves are likely going to be changing quick in the coming weeks!

The Foliage Report’s map from Monday, October 14th. They release a new update each week.

October has been a very dry month, and is likely to end up as one of the driest on record. Drought has now become a serious issue, and the month has featured plenty of sunny days and cool nights. Both of these factors will have an influence on the vibrancy of the fall foliage this season.

Drought map over the past 3 weeks

The basis for the changing fall colors is the shortening of daylight hours. Chlorophyll in the leaf breaks down with the loss of daylight. The leaves lose their green color in the process. Weather conditions will then determine how early or how late the leaves will change, as well as determine the vibrancy of the colors. The abundance of sunny days and cool nights this October has helped the speed of the changing leaves, as noted in Cecil County. The sunshine allows the leaves to produce lots of sugars, while the cool and crisp nights close up the leaf’s veins. This prevents the sugars from escaping. These conditions are what help bring out the crimson reds and deep oranges. However, because of the drought, we may end up in a situation this season where the colors may be vibrant for just a couple of days before quickly turning brown due to stress. This could shorten the window of vibrant colors, so it will be important for leaf peepers to pay attention to updates on the foliage.

Quick breakdown of the science behind vibrant foliage

As we get deeper into the season, we’ll be sure to provide updates on the progress of Delmarva’s fall foliage. We are hoping drought won’t dent the vibrancy too much. Happy leaf peeping!