2009 Fall foliage early this year? (Syracuse, Hope: neighborhood, suburbs, trees)

[bellafinzi]

Leaves are already changing and in some cases falling off the trees in my part of the northern suburbs. This is probably 3 weeks before normal. I assume it's the drought. Maybe the cool summer temperatures too?

There is no sign of heavy rain in the forecast.

Looks like we'll have dull colors and leaves falling off prematurely this autumn in the Syracuse area.

[eighty1]

Maybe this webite can answer a question or two about it (and without being too scientific!--well,for me anyway,I'll be studying too!). Hopefully you'll still get to enjoy the color changes tho'.
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/mi...ves/leaves.htm

[Jeromeville]

The fall color doesn't strike me as particularly unusual this year. I don't see it as dull, so much as "normal" - we've been really spoiled in recent years due to some sunny summers where the leaves must have been filled with a lot of sugars. Peak is usually mid-October in the Syracuse area, I think. Still a ways to go yet.

[bellafinzi]

You're probably right.

Finally some soaking rain this weekend! For me, this is the third time I've had a good wash-out type soaking since April.

If wet Summers equal early leaf drop and with dry summers they hang on much longer, then they should hang on in my neighborhood into late November this year.

I was informed by several helpful posters in another forum that the early leaf drop now is actually from the drought this summer. And what I see now is tree stress color.