I saw this tool pop into my email this morning from the Salem Patch and thought it was super neat. I’ve never seen this before! As a New Englander for the last decade+, you just sort of start to get a feel for how long until peak weekend once the leaves change colors. So what if you aren’t a New Englander or are visiting from far away? When will the leaves start to change for the fall in Salem, MA? You can use this tool from SmokeyMountains.com to estimate it. Click here to check it out.

Why do leaves change color?

According to the same website: “It all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves typically produce their vivid hues of green from spring through summer into early fall through the constant creation of Chlorophyll. As we all learned in 5th grade science, Chlorophyll is the key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into glucose, which in turn feeds the trees. Many millions of these Chlorophyll cells saturate the leaves, ultimately making them appear green to the eye.

Chlorophyll is not the only player in the fall leaf-color game. Present in other leaves and trees are the compounds known as Carotenoids and Anthocyanins. As the Fall days begin to get shorter and shorter, the production of Chlorophyll slows to a hault, eventually giving way to the ‘true’ color of the leaf.”

I hope this helps. Enjoy!! <3

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