Fall leaf colors depend on weather, experts say

Arborists say unpredictable weather patterns this year in Illinois are having an effect on leaf colors this fall, causing earlier changes that may not be as vibrant.

Spencer Campbell, the plant clinic manager at Morton Arboretum in Lisle, noted that this summer had a lot of extreme weather, swinging between drought conditions early and then heavy rains.

April, May and June reportedly only saw half their usual annual rainfall, while July received twice its annual average, and August came in below average while accompanied by extreme heat, Campbell said.

“These sorts of stress events can definitely impact fall color,” said Campbell, “though it remains to be seen how the 2023 drought will impact the fall colors. Last year, we had beautiful color at the arboretum because there was a lot of predictable, typical weather. This year was much less predictable. The next few weeks will be important. If we get mild weather, it should give us some…