On my 4 state tour last weekend (4 states in 4 hours–not bad travel, thankfully) I was surprised to find that the colors were as muted overall in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as they were here in Connecticut. I might see a nice group of maples occasionally–because those are the only trees anywhere showing any color in this 4 state region (aside from my little witch hazel, above).
I understand that the drought–not so much the heat–but the region’s lack of rainfall–probably had a lot to do with this. Thankfully none of these states relies too heavily on fall tourism.
And now with heavy wind, rain and unseasonable cold moving in for the weekend, what remaining color the maples do have will be lost. They’re even calling for sleet as far south as my region. As long as it doesn’t turn into another “arbor-geddon” I’ll be happy!
