It's Time for Fall!

Hi! Welcome back!

I’m so glad you hopped on the bus again. What have you been up to since we last met? I’ve been working on my upcoming book — Who Says Boo!? It’s available now, just in time for the fall season and Halloween!

I love the fall season! What about you? The weather dips down into cooler temperatures and the leaves on the trees begin to turn vibrant colors. It’s a spectacular time, especially if you are a “leaf-peeper” like me. It fascinates me every year, just like clockwork, how nature puts on the most fabulous show called “Autumn”. It’s that time of year when the different types of trees and their leaves turn from their summer greens into vibrant yellows, deep reds, and stunning orange and golds.

I would always wonder … how do they do that?! — Come to find out there’s science behind it! This fantastic metamorphosis is actually a combination of events that causes the leaf color change to happen. There’s a good reason why the leaves begin to change in the fall. There is less daylight and the cooler temperatures, which make the leaves produce less chlorophyll — that’s the food that the tree makes to give the leaves their nourishment: a diet consisting of simple sugars and air. That’s quite the diet! How would you like that for every meal?

Did you know that leaves always have many colors, that they are just hidden beneath the green? It’s true! During the summer the leaves are so full of chlorophyll making them a lush green that masks the other colors hiding beneath. During the fall, the chlorophyll begins to fade and dwindle unmasking the other colors, allowing the trees to show off their true radiance of colors that is hidden all summer long beneath the green chlorophyll. It’s a fabulous sight to watch the summer greens turn into an explosion of fall color!

Did you know there is a whole segment of tourism in the United States and other countries dedicated to watching this phenomenon happen? It’s true! It’s called “leaf-peeping tourism”. Leaf peeping is when people get into their cars and go for a drive, or put on their boots and go out for a hike through densely populated woods and forests to view nature in it’s finest display of fall colors. As I mentioned, I am a self-admitted leaf-peeper. Living in the south, my favorite area to leaf-peep is the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are 469 miles of road on the Parkway, starting in Virginia and ending in North Carolina, so there are lots of opportunities to stop and look out over the miles and miles of mountaintops and see trees covered in a beautiful assortment of vibrant colors. If you ever want to be wowed by nature, get outside this fall and look up to our trees as they put on their “Autumn Show” —you won’t be disappointed! Who knows … you may like it and become a regular leaf-peeper like me!

Well, this is my stop. Time for me to hop off the bus. I hope to see you on board the next time the Bus goes through your neighborhood. Who knows what fun and interesting topics we will explore together on our next ride. See you soon!

Smiles for Miles!

- Josie Lane