fall foliage

I was driving into Rutland the other day, and noticed the foliage starting to change, band of yellow and orange along the tops of the Green Mountains. Even in areas where the leaves haven't turned, you can see that the leaves are a lighter shade of green as chlorophyll exits the leaves, and heads to the tree roots for the winter.
Down here in the valley, the first place that you typically see the leaves turning is in swamps and wetlands. Sometimes the leaves are also the most colorful there.
The fall foliage season is just a fact of life here on the other side of the creek. It's easy to forget that Vermont is synonymous with fall foliage. That there are people who come from all over the country, maybe even the world, to view what is happening in one's own back yard.
The foliage season varies greatly from year to year. Some years the colors are muted and relatively dull. Other years the colors are amazingly vibrant, breathtaking. There are theories as to why some years are better than others, but no one really knows for sure. I like it like that.