This year seemed to a nice albeit early start to foliage season at the end of August when red maples turned vibrant colors along the wetlands. Unusually cool weather moved the season along quickly. Then the hurricanes formed. While they spared Vermont any of the horrific damage that occurred elsewhere, they seemed to have pushed a bunch of hot air and dry high-pressure systems over Vermont. There's been a string of very warm days likely to culminate in very hot weather next weekend. Then, by the following weekend, more normal cold and perhaps a hard freeze. The trees in Montpelier and other nearby areas seem to be turning golden brown rather than red - still pretty but hardly as vibrant as some years. The season also still seems very early, despite the warm, the dry conditions are causing the trees to drop their leaves, or else maybe they just committed too soon and can't take advantage.

If you see any foliage - pretty or dull, please do add it! It's important to document these 'weird' years. On a more bright note too, the asters of all kinds are LOVING this weather and the marsh aster, flat-topped aster, and Calico aster are all about as pretty as I've ever seen them. Feel free to add fields of aster to this project, they count as fall color too :)

We drove up to Elmore today and there is definitely nicer fall color starting up that way. The red maples seem to be off to a promising start. The sugar maples are getting holes in the leaves from Maple Leafcutter Moths which is part of why their color isn't as nice this year. (see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8058201 ) . I am interested in their range and effects so will add those to this project as well. Also I noticed the sugar maples have lots of seeds which are good news for the maple population and for the squirrels, but bad news for color as well since they are drab brown and cover many of the trees.
The birches don't look great this year either, but we will see.