The Herald-Dispatch Tis that time of year again for autumn to be ablaze in glorious color. Fall foliage should be at its peak this week throughout the Tri-State, according to information from the U.S. Forest Service. Higher elevations of West Virginia and elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic region are past peak, but could still be worth checking out. Most folks assume that old Jack Frost is responsible for changes in leaf color, but not so.
Many leaves begin to turn before frost occurs.
The change in coloring is the result of complex chemical processes that take place in the tree as the seasons change. During spring and summer, a food-making process takes place in the leaf in cells containing the pigment chlorophyll. This gives the leaf its green color. The chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight and uses it in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch. Like hibernating wildlife, trees begin to shut down their systems for winter.