{"id":756,"date":"2011-09-20T17:09:03","date_gmt":"2011-09-20T21:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=756"},"modified":"2012-12-07T10:52:35","modified_gmt":"2012-12-07T15:52:35","slug":"traveling-with-the-foliage-east-to-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/traveling-with-the-foliage-east-to-west","title":{"rendered":"Traveling with the Foliage East to West"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fall<\/a><\/p>\n

Ah, the joys of travel. Sometimes it\u2019s the language (or the accent it\u2019s spoken in) that tells you that you\u2019re far away from home. Sometimes it\u2019s the architecture enveloping you in history and culture. And other times, it just might be the trees. If you\u2019re traveling during the autumn months in the U.S., parts of Canada, Europe and Eastern Asia, it\u2019s a delightful time to look up and appreciate the changing of the leaves. In naturally ornamental forests, \u201cleaf peeping,\u201d as they call the touring of the fall foliage, is a treasured annual pastime. Here are some of the best places\u2014from your back yard to the other side of the globe\u2014that are prime viewing spots when autumn is ablaze.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What exactly happens when fall foliage arrives? The leaves of deciduous trees\u2014ones that shed their leaves seasonally\u2014greened from chlorophyll pigment begin to change to shades of yellow and orange when the weather turns cooler. Chlorophyll is sensitive to cold so the trees stop producing it, causing other yellow and orange carotenoids pigments (plentiful in carrots) to shine through. That\u2019s the part scientists know well. But what makes the fiery red colors is trickier. Those hues come from anthocyanin pigments that act as sunscreen as well as a kind of antifreeze that keeps leaves from freezing in cold weather. Some scientists say that the red colors ward off pests that munch on appetizing yellow-colored leaves. It\u2019s this theory used to explain why fall foliage in North America and East Asia skews red while autumn leaves in Europe turn mostly yellow.<\/p>\n

North American and East Asian vs. European Fall Foliage<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the theory, over 35 million years ago, a series of ice ages and dry spells caused trees in evergreen jungles or tropical forests to become deciduous. Through the evolutionary process, they began producing red deciduous leaves to repel insects. In North America and East Asia, north-to-south mountain chains helped plant and animal migration up or down with the flux of the ice during major climate change. And, of course, along with them went their enemy insect. So the war for survival continued there uninterrupted. But in Europe, where the Alps reach from east to west, no protected areas were created. Tree species that didn\u2019t survive the severe cold died, and so did their parasite insects. At the end of the cyclical ice ages, whatever tree species did make it was free from the now extinct insects, and so no longer had produce red warning leaves.<\/p>\n

Fall Foliage Peaks Around the World<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that you know why autumn colors may vary East to West, here are some places to ponder when choosing your fall tour:<\/p>\n

Japan <\/strong>is famous for its spectacular display of cherry blossoms in the spring, but from late September (and from mid-November to early December in Kyoto) the foliage on those and other deciduous trees turns vivid shades of red, orange and yellow. You can see them lit up at temples and parks around the country, for a contrasting view of the foliage by night.<\/p>\n

Qu\u00e9bec<\/strong> is well known for its autumn colors thanks to the sugar maple trees, provincial yellow birch and the American beech. Leaf peeping begins the end of September and continues through mid- to late-October in lower elevations and more southern locations.<\/p>\n

New York<\/strong> doesn\u2019t draw the same crowd as New England. But there is decent season for fall foliage. The peak time in New York City is typically mid-October through early November. And Central Park, with its 24,000 trees, is a perfect place for viewing.<\/p>\n

Europe<\/strong> has many options for leaf peeping in the fall. While not as spectacular as Japan and Eastern Canada, you can spot colors in France from Paris to the Loire Valley, in Switzerland near Lake Lucerne and parts of Ireland, Germany and Austria\u2014all in September and October.<\/p>\n

While cultural immersion is no doubt about the history and customs of its people, make time to explore the natural side of the places you visit as well. And, if the timing matches up with fall foliage, you\u2019ve got a little known story to tell about the science (and evolution) of leaf colors. Like all Explorica tours, it\u2019s not just about seeing as it is understanding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, the joys of travel. Sometimes it\u2019s the language (or the accent it\u2019s spoken in) that tells you that you\u2019re far away from home. Sometimes it\u2019s the architecture enveloping you in history and culture. And other times, it just might be the trees. If you\u2019re traveling during the autumn months in the U.S., parts of Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,63,172],"tags":[58,143,144,142],"class_list":["post-756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","hentry","category-parents","category-students","category-teachers","tag-educational-travel","tag-educational-travel-europe","tag-educational-travel-united-states","tag-fall-foliage","post_format-post-format-aside"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=756"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2067,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756\/revisions\/2067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}