Autumn in New England (which includes Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, etc) begins in late September and ends in late December, it marks the transition from summer to winter, and the entire region during this phase is known for its vibrant colors and picturesque beauty. The combination of the natural rugged landscape and rural, small-town villages have made several areas in New England iconic locations for fall color photography.

I have been to this region a few dozen times during the last 30 years, but this is the first time my travel to this location coincided with the Fall Colors phenomenon, and gave me an opportunity to experience the beauty of Fall Foliage around Vermont, thanks to Varun Kapoor (local Bostonian) who drove for over 10 hours last weekend

Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, various shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. The phenomenon is commonly called autumn colors or autumn foliage or fall colors or fall foliage. The resulting tourism is actually called Leaf Peeping Tourism.

Reasons for fall colors:  A green leaf is green because of the presence of a pigment known as chlorophyll. When abundant in the leaf’s cells the chlorophyll’s green color dominates and masks out the colors of any other pigments. In New England, a large percentage of trees produce a pigment known as an Anthocyanin, which results in brilliant reds and purples commonly seen around this time; a change that is particularly pronounced in the region’s sugar maple trees.

As autumn approaches, with daylight hours shortening and temperatures cooling, the amount of chlorophyll in the leaf begins to decrease. Carotenoids are another pigment that provides colorations of yellow, brown, orange, and the many hues in between.