The polar vortex earlier in the month has turned Orange to orange, red, gold, deep purple and sienna. Trees that do not usually change in this region’s subtropical climate are putting on a show. “We’re seeing extra color now,” said Rick Lewandowski, director of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. Areas in the north U.S. known for colorful fall foliage have frequent cold nights and warm days to trigger the changing hues of the trees. “We don’t have that here and we don’t usually get the color,” he said. Orange County has a subtropical climate. Often, the invasive, non-native Chinese tallow trees are the only ones displaying fall colors. However, the cold wave that dropped the temperatures below freezing a couple of weeks ago has triggered the trees to put on a show against a bright blue sky. People have been stopping to take photographs of the leaves and that might be a good idea. A strong wind or a rain will send the fall colors falling to the ground. It might take a year, or several years, before the weather makes the trees produce another colorful crop of leaves. Lewandowski said Shangri La has many trees displaying the fall hues and the Christmas decorations have gone up.
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