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Global Warming Hits New England
Posted by Raven on October 21st, 2007
Oh no.
Global warming has hit New England.
Hard.
Across the state line that is. Over in Vermont, some are saying that autumn colors are not as vibrant this year, and it’s due to…GLOBAL WARMING.
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Every fall, Marilyn Krom tries to make a trip to Vermont to see the state’s famously beautiful foliage.
This year, the 62-year-old registered nurse noticed something different about the autumn colors.
“They’re duller, not as sparkly, if you know what I mean,” said Krom, of Eastford, Conn., during a visit to Bragg Farm sugarhouse.
Yeah…I see what you mean.
Nope. All’s dull up here.
Hillsides usually riotous with reds, oranges, and yellows have shown their colors only grudgingly in recent years, with many trees going straight from the dull green of late summer to the rust-brown of late fall with barely a stop at a brighter hue.
Some folks contend that climate change could be the reason.
“It’s nothing like it used to be,” said Tom Vogelmann, plant biologist at the University of Vermont and a Green Mountain State native who is among those who believe the warmer weather may be to blame for the lackluster foliage. He says autumn has become too warm to elicit New England’s richest colors.
No warm colors.
Vibrant? What’s that?
The warming climate affects trees in several ways. Colors emerge on leaves in the fall, when the green chlorophyll that has dominated all spring and summer breaks down.
The process begins when shorter days signal leaves to form an abscission layer at their base, cutting of the flow of water and nutrients. But in order to hasten the decline of chlorophyll, cold nights are needed.
In addition, warmer winters have been friendly to fungi that attack some trees, particularly the red and sugar maples that have historically provided the most dazzling colors.
Yep…
State tourism officials reject the notion that nature’s palette is getting blander.
Erica Housekeeper, spokeswoman for the state Department of Tourism and Marketing, said she had heard nothing but positive reports from foresters and visitors alike this year.
The problem is perception, she said: Recollections of falls past become tinged with nostalgia.
“It’s never quite as good as it is in our own imaginations,” Housekeeper said.
Perception here?
Hmm.
It’s beautiful up here! I don’t know what those wanks in Vermont are complaining about. We’ve had a frost here already; the colors are bright and almost blinding. Course I’m in New Hampshire…and I haven’t trekked the 60 miles west this year to the Green Mountains but perhaps I will, this week…to get photogenic evidence of climate change.
October 21st, 2007 at 10:14 am
GORGEOUS!!!! Hey, Raven, can you send some-a-that-there Global Warming stuff down here to Virginia??? ;-)
October 21st, 2007 at 10:17 am
If there is an UPSIDE to global warming, the upside has to be that it brings out all the idiots. In my part of Texas where our summer colors are usually brown, we have had an abundance of rain so that in late August, everything was still Green. Yep, damn that global warming and it’s effects on idjits and colors.
October 21st, 2007 at 11:21 am
Love the pics Raven.
I have been watching some “glogal warming” stuff on TV lately. One piece contends that the Gulf Stream (which they renamed the conveyor or escalator or something) will shut down because of GW and that will cause a new Ice age in England and Europe. They also claimed that the change would cause equatorial South America would dry and die with the result being – less methane. But wait they didn’t even mention that methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (behind water vapor)and if all this is about GW because of greenhouse gasses then isn’t this whole scenario they describe just nature readjusting the thermostat, like it does every once in a while.
Anyway, enjoy the colors.
October 21st, 2007 at 11:28 am
Oh the hippies in Vermont and their global warming frenzy. It is to the point that every strange or “not normal” weather phenomena is blamed on global warming. It is to the point of hysteria in some circles it appears. I just see Chicken Little running around screaming that the sky is falling…. :roll:
October 21st, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Nice Pic’s, I hate Global Warming, I want old man (younger than GM?) Winter and snowmobiling…
October 21st, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I sometimes wonder who is loonier: the Ronulans or the climahysterics. The climahysterics are more dangerous, though.
Lovely pictures, Raven. That is one thing I miss down in NC. Really have to travel to the mountains to see foliage like that.
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:48 am
Your supposed Global Warming is from QB Tom Brady’s touchdown passes and from the BoSox coming back from the dead to defeat Chief Wahoo’s Indians. Boston wins a world series every 86 years so the Colorado Rockies have nothing to fear: 1918… 2004…2090! You have Red Sox Nation and we have NY Yankees UNIVERSE times 26 world series rings and 39 AL Pennants! Joe Torre had to go!!
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Beautiful pics.
Global warming is a political Myth brought on to bolster people’s pockets. AlGore and his Disciples get millions from their carbon offsets, and live like kings and want the rest of the little people to live like paupers.
I think that hell did freeze over when the Soxs won the World Series though. Maybe it will start cooling soon and we will have another Ice Age, it would be an Ice Age if the Cubbies won though
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Awe Kat, I’ll snail mail yah some leaves preserved in wax paper ok??
I have heard it’s pretty icky down your way color wise. Maybe Global Warming has hit your state and not made it’s way up the coast yet.
LOL
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:12 pm
GM we had a very rich and warm summer- lots of greens. Warm humid days add to this a lot. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s no different up here now than it was 20 yrs ago. Global warming my butt!!
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Rob there are SO many THEORIES about this crap- and it’s all just that- THEORIES. No proof. That man. Is destroying. The World. All hype.
And a lot of people are making a lot of money on this hype- most of all Albore. Nerd. Environmental whores.
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:15 pm
BWAHAHAH Duncan hits it with the hippie comment.
Hippie hysteria is exactly what we have going on here.
I can’t wait for the age of Aquarius to go away. They so old school now and need to grow up!!
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Teach the climahysterics have a match with the Ronulans. Face to face I’m not sure who would do more damage. The climahysterics certainly have cost us more.
LOL!!
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Stix,
PFFT.
Red Sox Nation member here. Sort of. Well. A little.