[3] The combination of natural rugged landscape and rural, small town villages have made several areas in New England iconic locations for fall color photography.

The numerous barns, church buildings, farmhouses, and villages combined with the vibrant seasonal colors makes for iconic photographs.

From southern Connecticut southward into northern New Jersey and points south, the number of sugar maple trees declines rapidly as the climate changes to a more temperate zone and oaks become more dominant, thus there are less bright colors.

[4][6] The term stick season refers to the period in late fall after the leaves have fallen and before snow has settled on the trees.

Kahan said that this period is "a time of transition" and "super depressing" as "it just means that winter is coming soon and it creates a lot of anxiety" and "nobody really likes it".