Myth 1: Jack Frost and his palette of natural colors are responsible for the autumnal blushes. Nope. Not even close. Jack is responsible for other things but not fall colors. Leaves can change colors even before Jack makes his yearly appearance.
Now, get this: the autumn colors are always inside the leaves! Hard to believe? I can hardly believe it myself. Does this mean you can cut into a leaf and see what color it will be when autumn arrives? Maybe, but I doubt it. So, what’s the truth?
During the spring and summer, chlorophyll gives the leaves their green color. In the fall, shorter hours of sunlight allow the chlorophyll to break down so other pigments show through. I guess you’ll just have to trust me about this. The only things Jack Frost is responsible for are making your fingers ache, your nose run, and your ears feel like they’re falling off. But, I digress.
Myth 2: Sometimes the leaves are early (or late). Sorry. Although the leaves usually start around here in mid-September, they start when the trees are darned good and ready, so how can they be early or late? It could be argued that the climatic conditions cause a color change, but I think it’s really up to the trees. I’ll bet the Druids held this same belief.
Myth 3: Red trees are always maples. While it’s true that silver maple, mountain maple, and red maple show red, so do dogwood, white
oak, red oak, and sumac.
Just so you can impress folks at your next cocktail party, remember this: yellow leaf trees include aspen, birch, hickory, ash, black oak, and striped maple. There’ll be a quiz later.
Myth 4: Only deciduous (from the Latin, to fall off) trees change leaf color and shed. Back up a bit, Betty. Ever hear of the larch, or tamarack? It’s really a conifer (i.e., having cones, I suppose), but its needles change color and drop just as dead as if they were leaves.
The larches are not too happy about this, but at least they don’t require someone to rake up their tiny needles.
The larch should not be confused with that Scotch pine you brought in for Christmas but didn’t take outside until Easter. Those needles fell off, too. Don’t you hate it when one of those dead needles sticks into your bare foot come July? Me, too. But, I digress again.
Myth 5: When the color is gone, it’s gone. Actually, you can preserve autumn’s colorful leaves by the tried and true ironing-them-between-two-layers-of-waxed-paper method. If you’re more adventurous, you can preserve them in your microwave! I read the details in a newspaper article.
However, I can’t recommend this because, and this is a quote, “Be careful; you could start a fire in your microwave if they cook too long.” What was the Tri-City Herald thinking? Can you say, “liability and litigation?” This does not sound like a fun way to entertain the kids. Having had just a few fires in my microwave, I can attest to this.
But, on the positive side, it’s something my kids will never forget.
Myth 6: The center band on a woolly bear caterpillar tells if it’s going to be an early or late foliage season. That’s just crazy. Everyone knows the width of the golden-brown center band predicts who’ll win baseball’s World Series.
So, there you have it. Now, get out there and enjoy the foliage before you have to undertake the backbreaking task of raking them up and figuring out what to do with them.
However, stay off Route 219 in Oakland around 7 AM. I have places to go, and I’m always late.
Written by Tony Lolli.