"All you still see is green," Fall foliage season in New England off to a slow start
PEABODY - Brooksby Farm in Peabody is open for business.
"It's nice when you wake up in the morning and you feel that crisp air and you look out and you're like, 'alright fall is here,'" farm manager JoAnne Roden said.
The popular apple picking and pumpkin patches see thousands of visitors during the fall.
"It's just a fun time. We've got the barnyard animals here, it brings families up. We work all year for this time of year," Roden said.
But heavy rain made for a rough start to the season.
"Every weekend has had some kind of precipitation. The weather for people visiting hasn't been great, so come up when you can in-between rain drops, we're here," she said.
But one of the biggest draws to New England may make an already slower season even worse.
"You're looking up and all you still see is green," Roden said.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, New England's colorful fall foliage generates around $8 billion in tourism revenue each year. So local farms are desperate for leaves to change and fast, but how likely is that?
"Each season in New England is different," Boston University environmental professor Richard Primack said.
Trees are signaled to change colors when the climate is cold and dry, something that has yet to happen this season.
"This season will be a little bit later than normal. The trees have not really experienced the start of cold weather yet and so mostly the leaves haven't changed color," Primack said. "These are the types of conditions that are more, actually, associated with climate change, a warmer temperature in the autumn and then you have higher rainfall, causing the trees not to perceive autumn is happening yet."
But not all is lost. Those leaves will change. And in the meantime, enjoy what Mother Nature does provide.
"We might not be getting one display of color but there's always something to see if you go for a walk in New England," said Primack.
