Can I ask which region you're from? I remember you working with botany, and your perspective here is pretty unique. It's hard to really feel a difference from one season to another down here in FL at this point, let alone the effect of climate on vegetation here. Only time it's not "hot" is February.
The area I live is zone 4-5, and I'm a gardener but I don't have schooling, just work experience. What sucks is that we get really nice fall colour on the trees and this year most of them will turn and drop their leaves quickly. The trees will recover and be fine though. It only sucks if somebody has a tree right in their front lawn they really like. Don't want that one to lose a nice big branch. The farmers are struggling here with corn and soybean too.