True Colors, Killington is getting fired up for foliage season
Posted September 6, 2012
It’s no secret that the Killington region features some of the finest fall foliage in all the land. Up here, as the summer season wanes and weather turns colder, the valleys and mountainsides turn from electric green to yellow, red, orange and purple pastels. It’s a thing of beauty, but what sparks the transition?
Simply put, there isn’t enough light or water for photosynthesis during the winter so the trees rest and live off the food they stored during the summer. As autumn settles in the bright greens fade away, and yellow and orange colors (which have been present in the leaves all along) are revealed.
The bright red and purple leaves you see on maple trees and others are produced mostly in the fall. Glucose remains trapped in the leaves and sunlight paired with cool nights causes these leaves to transform glucose into rich shades of red.
Want to experience nature's fireworks? Starting Saturday, September 8, Killington Resort will be open weekends only for mountain biking, hiking and K-1 Express Gondolia rides from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and disc golf from 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. through September 30 and daily October 1-8 for peak foliage.