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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 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 (Kaatscast podcast)
- I Love NY Fall Foliage Report
- Blog: Places to Take Fall Foliage In the HV (Cidiot.com)
- Fall Foliage Prediction Map
- Paper: Plants in the 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 podcast for editing the show and partnering on this seasonal effort.
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