‘Autumn' at the Arboretum in 100 Degree Heat

Fall starts this week, but in Dallas the season gets a head start at the Arboretum when their autumn festival begins.

It's kind of hard to get excited about pumpkins though, when it's nearly a hundred degrees out. NBC 5 headed to the Arboretum to see for ourselves.

"Look at the pumpkin!" one Dallas mother said to her baby at the Arboretum.

When the calendar flips to September and 90,000 pumpkins come out at the Dallas Arboretum, the mind can start to play tricks.

"We were looking for a cool breeze and some changing leaves," said Arboretum visitor Jennifer Ortiz.

But in Texas, it takes us a little while for the weather to catch up with that autumn state of mind.

"It is a little bit warmer than we expected and we're not dressed appropriately," said visitor Amy Hughes.

It's just September number three for little Azalea Babidge but she can sum it up already: "Like hot!"

But it's not stopping anyone from enjoying: "The art of the pumpkin," as Dave Forehand put it. He’s Vice President of Gardens for the Dallas Arboretum.

There are 50 different kinds of pumpkins, squash and gourds on display for this year's "Autumn at the Arboretum."

"A lot of these are actually edible and quite tasty," said Forehand.

And they all do well in hot, dry weather.

"We always expect one of these last little sneak heats coming in on us," said Forehand.

So as long as this is the last, Dallas families will keep on smiling, with visions of autumn leaves dancing in their heads.