Fall Foliage Map 2018: When Autumn Leaves Peak In New York

NEW YORK, NY – The temperatures are still close to 100 degrees, but fall is definitely approaching. Pretty soon, leaves will be blazing reds, vibrant oranges and sunny yellows – and now's the time to plan how to see them.

An online tool has been devised to predict precisely when the best time for leaf peeping will be.

The Fall Foliage Prediction Map, found on the Smoky Mountain National Park website, includes forecasts for all 50 states. In New York, fall colors are expected to peak around the week of Oct. 15.

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Autumnal color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to stay healthy — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green.

But leaves aren’t green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves’ big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a halt. The colors in fall’s breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park’s website.

For example, beta-carotenes reflect the yellow and red light from the sun and give leaves an orange hue. The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf’s life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows are produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It’s always present in leaves, but doesn’t show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.

See the foliage predictor here.

Photo by David Chapman / imageBROKER/Shutterstock