Fall is my favorite season in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I get anxious every year to see the leaves turn. This year has been especially wonderful. We have had so many clear days that we’ve been able to observe the gradual shift from green, yellow, orange, and red against the blue sky. Luzerne County is in its peak as I write this. The southern counties of Pennsylvania will peak this weekend.

Pennsylvania has so many scenic routes to take to enjoy the leaves. My personal favorites include Route 118 from Dallas to Williamsport, Route 115 through Bear Creek to the Poconos and Suscon Road in Pittston. (As a total aside, anyone living here knows to honk your horn near the bridge to hear the “screamer” - Happy Halloween!)

There are tour books and entire websites devoted to the scenic drives that you can take in Pennsylvania to enjoy the color. Some excellent choices “Wild & Scenic Pennsylvania”, “Pennsylvania Overlooks: A Guide for Sightseers and Outdoor People”, and “Back Roads of Pennsylvania” are some excellent choices.

It’s not just the road trips that I like, but the walks in the woods and on the trails are wonderful and peaceful. There is something special about the once-a-year sound your feet make as they walk through fallen leaves. The smell is distinctly autumn. As the leaves lay on the ground and decay, the smell changes, although I never consider it unpleasant, it really is only this one time of year that it smells so good. For me, this special thrill lasts right up to Thanksgiving. By that time, the leaves are completely fallen from the trees and it’s a bit too cold for my liking to be trotting through the woods, anyway.

Why do they change? Come on, admit it, even adults sometimes forget what we learned in elementary science. Here’s what I remember: The leaves change because of light, or the lack thereof. Plants use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into glucose through photosynthesis. Chlorophyll helps this to happen and gives plants their green color. As the days begin to have less sunlight in August and September, the green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves allowing yellows, oranges and reds to show. The colors are in the leaves all along, but we can’t see them because of the chlorophyll. It is possible that warm weather can have an effect on the color intensity, but these leaves are going to change even if it stays 70 degrees all summer because we simply have more dark time for the next six months. We need to wait until April to start the cycle again.

Our foliage is great for tourism. Check out www.fallinpa.com or www.visitpa.com for some more information.