Are the Leaves Starting to Change Color in Your Maine Yard Already?

While summer hasn't really started, I'm not ready for fall yet.

To be fair, "summer" lasted well into the fall last year. Some of you may recall that we had our fair share of 70 degree days in November. And we were still having days in the 50's in January. Then Old Man Winter finally shut the door. But I can't say we've had much of a summer this year, so far.

Sure, we've had some hot days, and 70,000 metric tons of humidity to contend with, but I don't feel like we've had any real summer weather. In June we had some 20+ days of rain/no sun, and July hasn't been much better. But when I look out in my yard right now in the middle of July, it's starting to look like fall. Here are my trees:

Here's a closeup of one of these early jerks...

Are your leaves starting to change too?

As I gaze out my back door, I'm starting to see the tips of leaves starting to turn red. It actually started a couple weeks ago, but my wife and I convinced ourselves that it was our imagination. But here we are today, and it seems to be getting worse. The maples and the oaks seem to be hit the hardest. It's not crazy yet... But it's still unsettling to see them all looking so fall-ish.

So what's the deal?

Well, it's the obvious suspect. Rain. In most cases, rain is what keeps our trees green and vibrant all summer. But when we get excessive amounts of rain like we've been seeing all summer long, it actually triggers the same reaction as the leaves would display in a drought, and they begin to change color.

Now, I'm not specifically saying we're going to have October style trees in August, but if our weather patterns don't change and we get a break from all the rain, but fall could come a lot sooner if things don't stabilize.

I feel like 2023 is the year that Mother Nature decided seasons were optional. Maybe things will be better next year. But all this topsy-turvy weather is for the birds. Well, particularly if you're a duck. So yeah... this weather can go ahead and quack off.

Here's a taste of the real fall...