August 14, 2018 – West Bend, WI – A neighbor noticed it first, the changing colors on the burning bush out front of the house.
It seems a normal pattern as the summer season slowly eases into fall, but it’s still a month and a couple weeks yet before the official start of autumn, Sept. 22.
Waiting outside Monday night’s Town of West Bend Town Board meeting, local Maple syrup aficionado Lee Krueger pointed to a Maple tree on the east side of County Highway Z.
“It’s happening everywhere,” said Krueger noting the reds of the Maple leaves standing out from the green of the surrounding trees.
We debated whether it was an early sign of autumn or possibly a lack of rain and extremely dry conditions.
One of the trees at Cedar Ridge that’s normally first to turn is already showing patches of yellow leaves.
Are you seeing signs of an early fall or do you think the lack of rain is a major culprit involved in the color change.