The work of Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Jasper Francis Cropsey, and others won recognition as the first truly American style of landscape painting. While their subjects eventually included scenery from other parts of our continent and the world, the first works in this style were inspired by Hudson Valley settings of mountains sloping to the river, particularly in autumn. The school's early paintings celebrate an awesome and glorious Nature shaped by divine hands, in which humans play an insignificant role. Autumn color can begin to show in late summer in response to prolonged dry spells. Trees will essentially shut down and drop their leaves as a means of rationing moisture.
Photosynthesis slows and production of chlorophyll diminishes.
If you like the scarlets of the red maple, your peak may arrive early. If you love the deep purples and oranges of oaks, then your peak will arrive somewhat later. By most assessments, the sugar maple is the standard - color peaks when these trees are decked out in their golden yellow and red foliage. In the High Peaks of the Adirondacks this may occur early in the month, in the Capital District by mid-month, and in the lower Hudson Valley and New York City around the third week in October. These estimates can vary depending upon the weather.