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North Conway-Madison N.H Lakes Region-White Mts. USA |
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ShootingStarChalet.com |
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Collecting and preserving fall leaves is a good way to bring some of the trip home. The easiest way to do this is to pluck some still-healthy leaves off the trees and immediately store them in a dry place - for instance, in the pages of a book. To prevent them from decomposing, you need to coat the leaves with a substance that insulates it from the outside. This is easily done by placing the leaves in betwen two sheets of wax paper and using a lightweight clothes iron to gently press them together for a minute. Once this is done the wax prevents the air and moisture from getting to the leaves and they are all set to be framed and hung. It is best to do the wax coating on the same day that the leaves are picked or else the leaves start to rot.
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Spectacular Fall Foliage Link to 10 ways to Leaf Peep |
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Autumn: During September and October, daytime temperatures in the valley range from 50 degrees to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Usually the farther north or higher in altitude you go, the cooler the temperature is. And as the nights cool off and you can start to see your breath wisping in front of your face in the brisk evening air, you enter perhaps one of the most beautiful and magical times of the year in New England. This is the perfect time of year to watch the brilliant spectacle of the leaves changing color as the weather cools. This phenomenon signals that the trees are preparing for winter. In fall, partly because of shorter periods of daylight and cooler temperatures, the leaves stop making the food so vital for the tree's survival. The chlorophyll, which had driven the food-creating photosynthesis process during the warm months, now breaks down in the cooler temperatures, and the green color of the leaves disappears. Vibrant yellow and orange hues, previously masked by the green, suddenly appear. The vibrant reds, purples, and bronzes come from other chemical processes. For instance, the brilliant red of maple trees is the result of sugar produced in the leaves during the warm days and then trapped by the nights' chill. The more sugar that accumulates, the brighter red the leaves turn. Also, the degree of color varies from tree to tree. Leaves directly exposed to the sun may turn red, while leaves on the shady side of the same tree may become yellow. Additionally, weather conditions play a role in the intensity of the fall foliage. A warm, rainy autumn generally results in leaves with less red coloration. As colors vary from mountain tops to valleys and from day to day, there's no way to predict when the fall foliage will be at its peak. But one thing is for sure: only two places in the world have fall foliage this brilliant -- certain regions of Japan, and right here in New England. There's no better place to watch this colorful yearly spectacle than the White Mountains and Mt. Washington Valley of New Hampshire. |
