HOUSTON — It's finally starting to feel like fall here in Houston, but when you look outside you might not recognize a change in seasons.
We don't get the beautiful change of colors that happens in other parts of the country, like the Great Smoky Mountains and New England. So, why do we lack visible evidence of the fall season in parts of the Lonestar State?
The first reason we don't see those beautiful colors is our temperatures.
We stay warmer longer, and this year, we've been drier than usual. This week, we saw our first real rain in weeks, and other parts of Texas are still facing serious drought conditions. Even in normal years, Houston can't compete with our neighbors to our east.
Let's take it back to 5th-grade science class. It all starts with photosynthesis. The hues of green on leaves are from the constant production of chlorophyll, which allows trees to turn sunlight into glucose giving them the energy they need.
As our fall days get shorter, there is less chlorophyll production allowing the leaves to turn brown. As the temperatures cool down, trees shed their leaves in anticipation of even colder weather to protect them.
How genius trees are?!
When we have more moderate weather, combined with the lack of chlorophyll from shorter days, the leaves don't hang around long enough to put on a show.
In years like this, we may see even less than usual.
For those of you who are longing for the beauty fall brings, here are some galleries from our sister stations in Colorado, Missouri and Maine!