Category: כללי

Welcome to the first 2023 spring report!

Although it is still February and spring is still a month away from now, it seems that way above temperatures speeded up things and brought early signs of spring, which, in comparison to last year, arrived 30 days earlier. However, things are very unstable. Some days reach up to 60’s degrees, but some go below the ’30s and even feel like in the 20s. These conditions can cause damage to the blooming flowers, as we experience last year with the Saucer Magnolias. Daffodils are coming out from the ground, but freezing temps can ruin their growth. On the other hand, Crocus can be seen all around the city (especially in parks and community gardens), and they can open up and close depending on the light and temperatures, so they can hold on even if it gets too cold.

February 25, 2023 – Crocus and Snowdrops are the first flowers to appear and create beautiful spots in white, yellow, and purple.
Hybrid Witch Hazels are deciduous shrubs or small trees, and they are early birds. With yellow spiked flowers, they are the first to bloom in the city. You can find them in many Gardens and parks around all the different boroughs.

Here are some pictures I took from a community garden in Greenpoint:

Shockingly, Okame Cherries, which last year bloomed around mid March, are in progress stage and some flowers opened up already.

The below pictures are from Williamsburg, Brooklyn:

Red Maple trees are usually the first to bloom in early March.
This year they reached the pre-bloom stage on February 18:

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It is the end of October, and Fall can be seen on every corner. With vibrant orange, red and yellow colors, we can confirm that New York City has reached the near-peak foliage stage.
While weekdays are colder and more unstable, weekends are much more appealing and bring warm temperatures and sunshine. Therefore, there’s no excuse; you should go out here and enjoy the beautiful fall colors.

Foliage stage in NYC

As I mentioned, we are approaching the near-peak stage, and there’s a lot of progress with the foliage around the city.
Virginia creeper and Boston Ivy have reached their peak color. You can see them in orange-pink, red and purple.
Thornless Honey locust trees still hold their beautiful yellow leaves.
These days, red and Sugar maples have reached their peak color and bring stunning colors to the streets. Of course, you can still see some trees only halfway there, but many others are entirely red and orange-yellow.
Most of the Ash trees have already lost their leaves, but some still hold their pretty yellow leaves.
It is also the Oaks’ prime. Red oak can be seen in yellow and brown colors. Although they are called red, it is not common to see their foliage color in red, but when you spot one, it is stunning.
Pin oaks can be seen in yellow or bright red.
White oaks have a more yellowish color.
Some Liquid Amber (Sweetgum) trees are getting magnificent multi-foliage colors. These trees turn yellow, red, purple, pink, and orange.

Here are some pictures I took yesterday in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn:

Windsor Terrace

Windsor Terrace is a small residential neighborhood in the central. It is a beautiful hidden gem close to Prospect Park, and it is joyful to walk around.
It is even more special this time of the year. Here are some pictures I took on my walk yesterday.

Foliage outside NYC

Deciding where and especially where to go and watch the foliage in peak color can be a struggle.
However, there are many sources that can help you make a better decision.

1. NY – I love NY foliage report – This popular IG page with a website gives a weekly report on the foliage progression around NY state. Reports are obtained from volunteer field observers and reflect expected color conditions for the coming weekend. Reports are issued every Wednesday afternoon.
2. Maine – If you want to visit Maine this fall, you should check out the state’s official website, which gives the foliage report for Maine state. The report covers seven different zones and has six levels of foliage statues.
3. Pennsylvania – PA DCNR follows the fall season with complete reports with all PA regions. Like Maine, they also set 6 different levels of foliage progression.
4. Vermont – Vermont’s official website provides foliage reports based on the Vermont Department of Tourism and volunteer members of their “Leaf Squad” from around the state. Their foliage levels are simple and have only four stages.
5. New Hampshire – VisitNH website gives detailed foliage reports. While others use maps to visualize the foliage progression around the state, NH provides information about the seven zones.

Visit our Instagram and watch our stories to get more live updates.

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Going deeply into October in NYC brings the fall atmosphere around the five boroughs. With beautiful color spots on the trees, pumpkins standing on brownstones’ stairs, and Halloween crazy and fun decorations, you cannot deny it anymore – fall has arrived in the city.
The weather, crispy cold nights, and sunny-dry days are all doing wonders for this year’s foliage, and you can see marvelous bright colors in many streets.

Foliage stage in NYC

In two weeks, you can see a significant change in many plants.
Virginia creeper, which is a very common climb-plant, have reached their peak color.
So are Thornless Honey locust trees which you can see is beautiful yellow.
Red and Sugar maples are reaching their peak color these days and bring stunning colors to the streets.
It is also the Ash trees prime when they get fully yellow and also give the ground a layer of leaves.
Mature White Oaks are changing their leaves to beautiful yellow, about 50 percent changed.
Silver Maples are moving in the right direction with a nice red top, about 40 percent changed.
Some of the Liquid Amber trees are still fully green. However, you can find some that are already 50 percent changed.
Pin Oaks have made another progress and are about 20 percent changed.

Here are some pictures I took yesterday in Carrol Garden, Bed-Stuy and Park Slope, Brooklyn:

Domino Park

Domino park is a lovely public park along the Williamsburg waterfront. It is named for the former Domino Sugar Refinery. It is a beautiful place where you can see a wide variety of trees, a wonderful place to catch the fall foliage.

These young Oak trees reached their peak color with stunning bright red.

This year you can enjoy a pumpkin patch right next to the park, which gives you an extra festive feeling.

Halloween

Halloween is only 2 weeks away, and the city is already dressed-up.
I love walking around and finding really cool creative Halloween decorations.
Here are some from yesterday:

Foliage outside NYC

Deciding where and especially where to go and watch the foliage in peak color can be a struggle.
However, there are many sources that can help you make a better decision.

1. NY – I love NY foliage report – This popular IG page with a website gives a weekly report on the foliage progression around NY state. Reports are obtained from volunteer field observers and reflect expected color conditions for the coming weekend. Reports are issued every Wednesday afternoon.
2. Maine – If you want to visit Maine this fall, you should check out the state’s official website, which gives the foliage report for Maine state. The report covers seven different zones and has six levels of foliage statues.
3. Pennsylvania – PA DCNR follows the fall season with complete reports with all PA regions. Like Maine, they also set 6 different levels of foliage progression.
4. Vermont – Vermont’s official website provides foliage reports based on the Vermont Department of Tourism and volunteer members of their “Leaf Squad” from around the state. Their foliage levels are simple and have only four stages.
5. New Hampshire – VisitNH website gives detailed foliage reports. While others use maps to visualize the foliage progression around the state, NH provides information about the seven zones.

Visit our Instagram and watch our stories to get more live updates.

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It is crazy that we enjoyed the warmth of 80s degrees just a week ago, and now we are dealing with a high in the lower 60s. But this is the pattern of seasons change. So you should expect temperatures to go up a little and drop back down.
However, low temperatures and daylight getting shorter expedite things in terms of foliage and help bring brighter colors to the city and the northeast area.

Foliage stage in NYC

As I said, low temperatures expedited the color change in the city, and you can see dramatic progress in many different trees.
Mature White Oaks are changing their leaves to beautiful yellow, about 20-30 per cent changed.
Silver Maples are moving in the right direction with a nice red top, about 10 per cent changed.
Liquid Amber trees, usually bring magnificent colors at peak, have a few colorful branches with pretty colors, which are worth mentioning.
Pin Oaks are also wearing a bit of orange-red colors and are about 5 per cent changed.

Here are some pictures I took yesterday in Greenpoint, Brooklyn:

Maple Trees

Maple trees are prevalent in the northeast areas and can bring us bright colors during the Fall. But there are so many kinds of Maple trees. So how can you identify them?
It is easier once you become familiar with their shape differences.

Another prevalent Maple is the Norway Maple, an invasive European tree first introduced to North America between 1750 and 1760. I tended to misidentify Norway Maples as Sugar Maples or as Red Maples. However, there the small details can tell you the differences:
Norway maple will have more dense leaves grows.
Sugar and Red maples will have their seeds in early spring, while Norway maples will spread their seeds during fall.
A red maple leaf often has three lobes, while the Norway and sugar maples tend to look like they have five. Also, the edges of the leaf’s jagged sawtooth pattern can give you another clue. Red maples have that, but Norway and sugar maples have smooth-edged leaves.

Foliage outside NYC

Deciding where and especially where to go and watch the foliage in peak color can be a struggle.
However, there are many sources that can help you make a better decision.

1. NY – I love NY foliage report – This popular IG page with a website gives a weekly report on the foliage progression around NY state. Reports are obtained from volunteer field observers and reflect expected color conditions for the coming weekend. Reports are issued every Wednesday afternoon.
2. Maine – If you want to visit Maine this fall, you should check out the state’s official website, which gives the foliage report for Maine state. The report covers seven different zones and has six levels of foliage statues.
3. Pennsylvania – PA DCNR follows the fall season with complete reports with all PA regions. Like Maine, they also set 6 different levels of foliage progression.
4. Vermont – Vermont’s official website provides foliage reports based on the Vermont Department of Tourism and volunteer members of their “Leaf Squad” from around the state. Their foliage levels are simple and have only four stages.
5. New Hampshire – VisitNH website gives detailed foliage reports. While others use maps to visualize the foliage progression around the state, NH provides information about the seven zones.

Visit our Instagram and watch our stories to get more live updates.

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Temperatures in the city are dropping, and you can really feel the fall atmosphere building around you. It is still early to see some colors, but for those who crave even for a little red color, I’ve got you covered.

I also added some information for those who are looking to see some colors outside of the big apple.

Foliage stage in NYC

It is still very early to set a number for the foliage progression in NYC. However, current low temperatures and daylight should move us in the right direction for the next three to four weeks.

Red maples are the first to bloom in spring and are the first to give us some colors. You can spot the top leaves changing nicely from green to red. Silver maples are also spotted with some beautiful red leaves.
Here are some pictures I took in the past three days from Central Park and Prospect Park area:

Here are some pictures I took in the past three days from Central Park and Prospect Park area:

Most of the Dogwood trees I’ve seen are near peak color. Admittedly, their foliage is not the most stunning, but they still get us into the fall feeling while everything else is still green.

Foliage outside NYC

Deciding where and especially where to go and watch the foliage in peak color can be a struggle.
However, there are many sources that can help you make a better decision.

1. NY – I love NY foliage report – This popular IG page with a website gives a weekly report on the foliage progression around NY state. Reports are obtained from volunteer field observers and reflect expected color conditions for the coming weekend. Reports are issued every Wednesday afternoon.
2. Maine – If you want to visit Maine this fall, you should check out the state’s official website, which gives the foliage report for Maine state. The report covers seven different zones and has six levels of foliage statues.
3. Pennsylvania – PA DCNR follows the fall season with complete reports with all PA regions. Like Maine, they also set 6 different levels of foliage progression.
4. Vermont – Vermont’s official website provides foliage reports based on the Vermont Department of Tourism and volunteer members of their “Leaf Squad” from around the state. Their foliage levels are simple and have only four stages.
5. New Hampshire – VisitNH website gives detailed foliage reports. While others use maps to visualize the foliage progression around the state, NH provides information about the seven zones.

Visit our Instagram and watch our stories to get more live updates.

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It’s the first day of Fall and our very first report for this Fall’s foliage progression in New York City. Fall is one of our favorite times of year here in New York City. The cooler weather is a welcome relief after the long, hot summer, and the changing leaves are simply beautiful. It is still fully green in our area, with a few early turners spotted in random places in the city.

This year, we’re predicting that peak foliage will hit the city sometime in mid-to-late October. Follow us this season for foliage reports in the city, perfect fall gateways ideas, and the best spots to see the leaves.

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So what is happening now?

Our Fall version of our home page shows a list of trees and will indicate whether or not that tree is in peak color. Fall of 2021 brought beautiful bright colors, and we hope to see this magnificent show this year.

Summer Foliage – Why does it happen?

Summer foliage is when trees lose their leaves in summer. It’s a natural process that happens because the tree is trying to conserve water. The leaves act as a barrier between the hot summer sun and the tree’s trunk. When the leaves are gone, the tree can cool off faster. Summer foliage also helps protect the tree from summer pests. So if you see a tree without leaves in summer, don’t worry! It’s just nature doing its thing. However, due to global warming, summer foliage has been happening earlier and lasting longer in some areas. This means that the tree is under stress for a longer period of time and can become more susceptible to disease and pests. So if you see a tree without leaves, make sure to give it some extra TLC!

Here are some pictures of trees that are under summer foliage:

On the other hand, we have spotted some early fall colors in a few trees in Brooklyn.

Hot and Dry Summer

The main problem that global warming poses is the high temperatures that are being experienced all over the world. This summer was a perfect example of this, as many parts of the world saw record high temperatures. On top of that, there wasn’t enough rain to offset the heat. This combination led to some major problems, such as wildfires and droughts. The Current U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions for New York sets the big apple on level D3 – Extreme Drought.

The Conditions for Best Fall Colors

As the days get shorter and the temperatures start to drop, foliage progression conditions are key in predicting when leaves will change color and fall off the trees. While weather plays a big role in determining how colorful leaves will be, foliage progression conditions give clues as to when peak foliage season will occur in different areas. Here’s what you need to know about foliage progression conditions and how they can help you plan your fall foliage viewing.

Several factors are at play when it comes to the colors of fall foliage. The most crucial factor is the amount of sunlight the leaves receive. Leaves need sunlight to produce chlorophyll, which gives them their green color. In the fall, there is less sunlight available, and as a result, chlorophyll breaks down. This process exposes other colors that were previously hidden by the green chlorophyll.

Soil type can also affect fall colors. For example, leaves growing in acidic soil tend to be red or purple, while those in alkaline soil will be yellow or orange. Another factor is temperature; cool nights and warm days produce more vibrant colors than extremes alone. Finally, leaf dryness also plays a role; if leaves are dry, they will change color faster than if wet.

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We are approaching summer in just three days. It can be pretty crazy how time flies so fast. But, on the other hand, it is pretty amazing how much has changed since our first report back on March 15. Then, flowers had bloomed, trees turned green, and everything was lush again.

It is our last report for Spring 2022. However, we’ll continue to give you reports over the summer bloom and, later this year, the Fall report. You are more than welcome to subscribe to make sure you won’t miss any updates, and of course, follow us on Instagram.

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So what is happening now?

It is Hydrangeas season.
You can find Oak Leaf Hydrangeas with beautiful white flowers around the city, and they are in full bloom.
Oak Leaf Hydrangea got its name due to the oak leaf shape of its leaves (yes, it’s that simple).
European Hydrangeas can be spotted in full bloom. However, some of them are hoping up just now. That means a more extended flowering season for this kind. European Hydrangeas are known for their unique color variation from pink, white, red, purple, and even blue. The shades of hydrangeas depend on the acidity of the soil.

Here are some pictures I took in the past five days:

It is still delightful to see Dogwood trees blooming around the city.
You may have noticed that these are not the same Dogwoods that bloomed in late April- to early May. The early bloomers bloom without leaves, and these bloom together with their green leaves.
It is breathtaking.

Spring was Magical

Heading toward summer, Spring was magical. We are witnessing a beautiful live transition from coldness and death to warm and liveliness.
We should all appreciate nature and the plants surrounding us with their glory.
They keep us calm, live, and healthy.
See you on June 21, 2022.

See you in Summer.

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