Pioneer Valley (Amherst) General Conditions:  The dormant season has arrived and the 2025 growing season is complete. Trees and shrubs are acclimating for cold winter temperatures, and fall clean ups continue across the landscape. Peak fall foliage was late this year, but still spectacular in the end. In early October, it seemed this might be an underwhelming year, but the colors came hard and vibrant for many trees. Even Norway maples ( Acer platanoides ) across the UMass ca

Pioneer Valley (Amherst) General Conditions:  Despite worsening drought conditions across the Pioneer Valley, there were three rain events over this past reporting period that provided some badly needed moisture. Two of these events (September 23-25 & October 12–14) were long duration storms that provided a soaking rainfall. Total accumulations from September 23 to October 14, across the tri-counties, spanned 3.1–4.4”. While it will take considerably more rainfall to pull us

Pioneer Valley (Amherst) General Conditions:  As we approach the autumn equinox (September 22), the 2025 growing season is winding down....

Pioneer Valley (Amherst) General Conditions:  The fall season has started, the days are noticeably shorter, and students are back on the...