Fall Foliage Map 2018: When Autumn Leaves Peak In Rhode Island

It still looks and feels like summer, but fall is fast approaching and leaves will soon change colors to blazing reds, vibrant oranges and sunny yellows. No area beats Southern New England for that beautiful fall foliage, but it can be tough to time it right. Fortunately there’s a tool to help you plan sight-seeing around the dates when it should be at its most fabulous.

The leaves in Rhode Island will begin to turn in late September, but they don't start turning heads until the first two weeks of October. Fall colors are expected to peak around the week of Oct. 15. By the time October finishes, so too does the color display.

The Fall Foliage Prediction Map, found on the Smoky Mountain National Park website, includes predictions not just for the Smokies, which rise above the Tennessee-North Carolina border, but for all 50 states. If you’re planning a trip somewhere outside of Rhode Island, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map can help you pinpoint the best dates for a visit.

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You probably remember from science class that the color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to stay healthy — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green to the human eye.

But leaves aren’t green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves’ big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a haltl. The colors in fall’s breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park’s website.

For example, beta-carotenes reflect the yellow and red light from the sun and give leaves an orange hue. The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf’s life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows that make you feel as if you’re walking in a ray of sunshine?

They’re produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It’s always present in leaves, but doesn’t show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.

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