Fall foliage season begins in Western Pennsylvania
As September turns to October, Pennsylvania’s famously vibrant fall foliage season has begun in earnest all across the state, with some counties already approaching peak color and others observing no changes at all yet.
According to a map released by Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Butler County is listed as “just starting,” a status which applies to nearly all of Western Pennsylvania and more than half of the state’s 67 counties. One county, Tioga County, already is listed as “peak color.”
The DCNR’s first fall foliage report of the year, released Thursday, Sept. 25, reports that color change in Butler County’s region (which is covered by the Clear Creek State Forest district) has been somewhat erratic due to this season’s long stretches of dry weather. Some trees of the same species have been observed at all stages of color change, according to the report.
“Abnormally dry conditions in the region have encouraged much of this erratic leaf change,” stated the report. “Unfortunately, some trees have begun dropping leaves ahead of color change because of the dryness.”
