foliologist

English

Etymology

From foliage +‎ -ologist.

Noun

foliologist (plural foliologists)

1. An expert on where and when to view the way tree leaves change color during the fall season.
   • 1996 October 6, “News & Notes”, in The Record:

     America’s first “foliologist,” Scotty Johnston, has announced predictions for the best color periods throughout the United States and Canada.

   • 2003 October 4, Donald Ross, “Tree cheers for nature lovers”, in Daily Mail:

     There are even resident foliologists who plot routes for these enthusiasts with some useful hints such as ‘don’t get out of your car to pat a moose’.

   • 2004 September 19, Neil McLean, “The rise of New England’s fall”, in The Sunday Times (London):

     A retired clinician from New Jersey with a sparkling intellect in inverse proportion to her dress sense, she had researched the subject thoroughly and had fall guides, fall maps and fall weather charts. “I phoned a fall foliologist a couple of times to make sure I was on the right track,” she said. “You ever met a foliologist?”

   • 2012 September 9, Jill Schensul, “Leaf-peeping opportunities span the globe”, in The Record:

     Foliage is not an exact science, of course. Longtime expert Scotty Johnston, the official foliologist for Tauck Tours, where he ran foliage tours for 50 years until retiring last year, has some advice.