MAINE, USA — On an October 18 trip to Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal, I noticed something about the forest canopy overhead: The red, orange and yellow foliage that dominates this time of year seemed duller than usual.

My suspicions deepened at the viewpoint, where the panorama of fall colors looked like its saturation had been turned down a few notches.

Stephanie Spera is a professor of geography, environment and sustainability at the University of Richmond in Virginia, and she’s spent much of her career studying fall foliage in Acadia National Park. She noticed this year’s dull colors while on a research trip to Lewiston and Auburn in mid-October.

“The colors were so sad,” Spera said. “So many leaves seemed like they had fallen prematurely.”

Maine’s ongoing drought is the l

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