It's peak leaf-peeping season, and Cidiot® and Kaatscast have teamed up to release foliage episodes the same week. Kaatscast covers the west side of the Hudson; Cidiot's got the east.
In this episode, Mat Zucker sits down with Amy Zanne, senior scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (https://www.caryinstitute.org/) in Millbrook, to answer the question every leaf peeper has: why do leaves do this?
Amy — a botanist by training and a recent Hudson Valley transplant by way of New Hampshire — breaks down plant science behind fall color: the pigments that make leaves orange, yellow, red, and purple, why trees drop their leaves at all, how they scramble to reclaim nutrients before winter, and what causes a leaf to let go and fall to the ground.
Mat and Amy also get into what separates a spectacular foliage year from a dud and tips for getting the most out of your own leaf-peeping trips — including how to press and preserve your favorite leaves so the color lasts well past the season.
Related links to the episode:
• Fall Foliage Guide: Catskills Edition (https://www.kaatscast.com/fall-foliage-in-the-catskills/) (Kaatscast podcast)
• I Love NY Fall Foliage Report (https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/fall/foliage-report/)
• Blog: Places to Take Fall Foliage In the HV (https://www.cidiot.com/138-finch-how-a-birds-nest-named-a-hudson-icon/) (Cidiot.com)
• Fall Foliage Prediction Map (https://www.explorefall.com/)
• Paper: Plants in the Afterlife (https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/podcast/plants-afterlife) (Cary Institute)
Timecodes
• 00:00 – Carotenoids vs. anthocyanins, two main leaf pigments
• 01:41 – Intro: The origins of "leaf peeper"
• 03:07 – Where to check foliage timing
• 04:14 – Meet Amy Zanne: her path and what she researches
• 07:43 – Why leaves change at all
• 09:50 – How timing varies by species (vessel size, geography, elevation)
• 12:30 – The tree "economy": pulling back nutrients before shedding leaves
• 13:33 – Is climate change shifting foliage timing?
• 15:04 – The three color classes explained: carotenoids, anthocyanins, tannins
• 19:00 – Why anthocyanins act like sunscreen for a shutting-down leaf
• 21:41 – The abscission zone: how a leaf physically detaches and falls
• 24:11 – What happens to leaves after they fall
• 26:30 – What makes a great foliage year vs. a mediocre one
• 28:20 – Amy's advice for getting the most out of leaf season
• 31:12 – Foliage-tracking tools and how to plan a peeping trip
• 34:22 – How to preserve leaves: pressing them in a book, then sealing with wax paper and an iron
Thanks to Brett Barry of Silver Hollow Audio and the Kaatscast (https://www.kaatscast.com/) podcast for editing the show and partnering on this seasonal effort.
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