Fall Foliage Frenzy

AP Photo/Toby Talbot

Autumn in the Northeast is truly glorious, we're paying homage to foliage. We talk with several folks who have a specific perspective on autumn colors: plant physiologist Paul Schaberg explains why red leaves may be a way a tree protects itself; forest resources manager Ginger Anderson describes how the colors are looking in different parts of the state; John Perkins tells us what it's like for innkeepers like him to entertain leaf peepers all season; and photographer Jeb Wallace-Brodeur gives tips on taking great pictures of fall's best colors.

Also in the program, we learn why hordes of intrepid adventurers will descend on Montpelier this weekend in search of fungi. Mycologist Lawrence Millman describes the effort to identify as many fungi as possible in "FungiBlitz", hosted at the North Branch Nature Center.

And VPR's Susan Keese takes us to an abandoned mine in Windham County where researchers are studying a disease that's been killing bats. Scientists say they're finding very few of the animals in places where bats typically swarm in September.