October 21, 2009

    It's peak season for leaf-peeping in the Twin Tiers.  But it seems like the colors aren’t as vibrant this year in some locations.
     Leaves change color for several reasons -- primarily to protect plants and trees from the coming winter.
     Ithaca College biology professor Peter Melcher, who studies plant physiology, says trees "eat" chlorophyl -- “the green stuff” -- and store it for winter.
     “The idea is these trees want to optimize how much energy they're putting back into their system before they throw away all their leaves,” said Melcher.
     Melcher says different species of trees produce different fall colors.
     For the past several years, Melcher has been studying what affects "redness."  His preliminary results show it's the nitrogen in the soil and the weather.
     Melcher says the below freezing nights we've had early on this season caused some damage.    
     “A lot of these plants had to ditch green leaves, they didn't get some of their red production going, and some of these plants -- you'll see browning and burning on some of these leaves,” said Melcher.
     “Leaf peeping is extremely important.  It's one of the things our region is most famous for,” said Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce tourism director Miranda Polmanteer.
     Polmanteer says the dull leaves aren't driving tourists away.
     “We had a huge tourism season in 2009, and we hope to see that continue to grow in the fall of 2009,” she said.
     Polmanteer also says the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel has been a huge boost to local tourism, bringing in almost 2,000 additional people.