In June’s wet weather, Pittsburgh’s tuliptrees were attacked by anthracnose, a fungus that turned most of their leaves brown. Click here to see.
July and August were very dry so the fungus died.
The tuliptrees responded. They’ve grown new leaves! It doesn’t matter that August is so close to autumn. They need leaves to make food.
Photosynthesis is restored.
p.s. The first time I saw trees grow new leaves in the fall was after Hurricane Bob stripped the leaves from the trees on Cape Cod on August 19, 1991. It was very odd to see spring-like trees on the Cape in early October.
(photo by Kate St. John)
The new leaves were there all the time, hidden in the embryonic stage within buds. Death of the infected leaves released the new ones from inhibition, allowing them to grow out.