Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and obviously no one informed the trees.
As we have noted and, presumably, most folks have noticed, the fall-foliage show this year has been way behind schedule.
Typically, the peak around here comes between Oct. 21 and Halloween, averaging around Oct. 25, says veteran leaf-watcher Paul Meyer, who runs the Morris Arboretum, in Chestnut Hill.
For parts of the region, the peak finally arrived this week, and it has been spectacular.
Why so late? The best explanation is the lack of cold nights. Philadelphia did not record its first official freezing temperature until after Election Day.
Cold clearly has an effect on the leaves, but the impresario of the annual show is the waning sunlight. Meyer and other observers have noticed no particular trend in recent years of late-arriving peak foliage.
In any event, try to get out there and savor it as soon as possible. It's only a matter of time, wind and gravity before they all come down.
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