Due to the unusually warm fall, some trees this year may not lose their leaves in time for winter. Some Moscow trees are at risk of seeing December with green leaves for the first time in our memory. Usually, by mid-November, most are already bare, but prolonged autumn heat can disrupt the normal leaf-fall schedule. Vladimir Opelnik, candidate of biological sciences and senior researcher at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve, spoke about it. Trees are guided not by the calendar, but also by temperature. If autumn turns out to be warm, they continue to grow and do not rush to prepare for winter. This happens especially prominently after a dry summer: the autumn rains seem to give the plants a signal that they can actively grow again. By itself, late leaf fall is not a problem for most wild trees. The problems start if frost hits suddenly and wet snow falls. Photo: Dmitry Zheltikov/Shutterstock/Fotodom Double posts in Max.

Due to the unusually warm fall, some trees this year may not lose their leaves in time for winter. Some Moscow trees are at risk of seeing December with green leaves for the first time in our memory. Usually, by mid-November, most are already bare, but prolonged autumn heat can disrupt the normal leaf-fall schedule. Vladimir Opelnik, candidate of biological sciences and senior researcher at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve, spoke about it. Trees are guided not by the calendar, but also by temperature. If autumn turns out to be warm, they continue to grow and do not rush to prepare for winter. This happens especially prominently after a dry summer: the autumn rains seem to give the plants a signal that they can actively grow again. By itself, late leaf fall is not a problem for most wild trees. The problems start if frost hits suddenly and wet snow falls. Photo: Dmitry Zheltikov/Shutterstock/Fotodom Double posts in Max.