6 days ago
Cooler summer causes Sacramento trees to show early fall colors
It is the first week of August, and some people in Sacramento are already starting to notice the trees changing colors.
There have been only four days in triple digits so far this year, and it is not just the people who have felt it, but the trees.
"I don't want to say it's fall yet because in my mind it's summer all year-round, but I think fall is coming," said Nick Wootten, who owns Birdies Social Club in West Sacramento.
His new business is surrounded by trees that are already making the transition.
Michael Ganchenko, owner of Kingdom Tree Services, said the trees do not usually change color this early in the year, but it is a normal process.
"It's a process of chemical change that occurs through photosynthesis," said Ganchenko.
The cooler temperatures mean less chlorophyll production, changing the green pigmented leaves we are used to seeing during the heat of summer into yellow, red and orange.
"I think the mild weather confuses all the beautiful trees we have," said Laura Dirrim, who is a volunteer forester with the tree foundation.
Dirim noticed the trees with less direct sunlight in her Sacramento neighborhood are changing color.
"Hey, if the trees are going to turn color sooner and we get this natural artistic beauty sooner in the year, I'll take it," Wootten said.
Ganchenko said the leaves changing color does not impact the tree's health, and when the leaves fall will depend on the weather to come.
