Daylength & Fall Color

I am a little bit fascinated by the circadian rhythms of plants, so I can't help but share a photo of these dreaded Bradford pears growing in southern New Jersey.

Check it out:



So, on one side you have a row of trees that are still fairly green. On the other side of the street, the trees are at their fall color peak. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense: The trees that are further along in their procession to dormancy (the red ones) are on the south side of the street. They sit just north of the adjacent townhome, which reduces the amount of daylight they receive. The trees on the left have slightly more day-length and thus won't turn color at the same time as their neighbors.

This was such a great illustration of how day-length influences fall color that I had to use it, even if it was the lousy pear tree.