In this Axios Columbus article, Dan Herms, vice president and general manager at the Davey Institute, shares how heat and drought conditions have halted fall color this year. 

Posted: October 22, 2025

A field with trees and plants, both green and yellow in color.If your backyard trees still look surprisingly green for mid-October, you're not alone — color changes are a little late this year, part of a yearslong trend.

Why it matters: Fall is starting to look a little different in Central Ohio (and across the country), a visual reminder of climate change's effects on our plant and tree life.

How it works: Temperatures, growing seasons, carbon dioxide levels, rainfall patterns and droughts can all shift leaf behavior.

  • Most of those changing factors can be traced back to warming climates.

What they're saying: "Here we are in mid-October and the oaks are still completely green," says Dan Herms, an entomologist who spent 20 years as an Ohio State professor and researcher before becoming general manager of The Davey Institute.

To continue reading this article, click here. 

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