Hints of fall appearing around Killington

Hints of fall appearing around Killington

With Fall foliage season right around the corner, it's time to take out the crystal ball and predict how vibrant Fall 2014 will be in the Green Mountains. Of course it is a swag, but it is also fun to "read the leaves" and guess what Mother Nature has in store.

This summer has been a cool one around Killington. Much to the consternation of Green Mountain Power, our air conditioning has been barely used(bringing a smile to Mary's face when she saw lower electricity bills for the inn).

Cool temperatures were also accompanied by a fairly normal amount of rainfall. We did have a lot of precipitation in May and June. In July and August we fell back to our normal pattern of late afternoon showers, which we are still seeing in early September.

What does this mean for fall foliage?

Basically, the long and short answer is that trees in the area had a fairly low stress growing season. As a result of cool summer temperatures and plenty of moisture the foliage canopy in the mountains around Killington has fully developed; looking quite heathy and robust.

Fall foliage at Killington in "normal" years peaks between October 3rd and October 6th. Lower elevations to the east (Woodstock) and west (Rutland) of Killington tend to peak a week later. North of Killington along the Route 100 corridor sees peak foliage earlier in the season. South and west of Killington along the Route 7 corridor generally peaks later.

Based upon this years summer, I would anticipate that peak color in Killington will fall towards the later end of the average, or even a few days after that.

Color development in the leaf canopy of the Green Mountains, with it's highly diverse combination of deciduous tree species (Oak, Maple, Birch, Popular), is complex. So let's keep the prediction simple.

Throwing a dart at the board, I would anticipate peak foliage colors in Killington between October 5th and October 8th this year. Unscientific, Ouija board analysis of course. Stay tuned to killingtonblog.com for updates as we progress though the season. From here on in, we will be posting a fall foliage picture of the changing colors around the inn every day.

And wherever you may be.. keep it in the fairway...