Nature’s palette is consistent, so soon we can expect to see reds and yellows shaking from the trees. What varies is the timing of this splendor. For this critical information, Central Park’s most ardent supporters turn to the Central Park Conservancy’s vice president for operations, Neil Calvanese, also known as the fall color predictor.

“Peak color will come at the time of the marathon or shortly thereafter,” Mr. Calvanese said Wednesday at the conservancy’s annual breakfast for its Tree Trust, held appropriately in the allee of elms along the Literary Walk.

For prime foliage viewing, Mr. Calvanese also recommends a visit to the Ramble on October 28 at 2:30 p.m., just two days after the conservancy’s Halloween Ball.

“There’s a tree about 20 feet south of the east-west path – it will be a blaze of red, it’s almost guaranteed,” Mr. Calvanese said.

The Tree Trust, whose chairwomen are Gail Hilson and Kathy Ingram, raises more than $1 million annually for upkeep of the park’s 21,000 trees. Donors who endow trees receive paving stones at the foot of the Literary Walk – which Mr. Calvanese also thinks is a great spot for viewing foliage, come early November, when the leaves will be golden and cascading onto a new asphalt paving to be installed this month.

Under a still-green canopy, the president of the conservancy’s Women’s Committee, Karen LeFrak, shared a quiet moment with the conservancy’s president, Douglas Blonsky. This was her last public event as Women’s Committee president. At a luncheon Wednesday at the Mandarin Oriental, Ms. LeFrak passes the torch to Nancy Paduano.

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You may not see golden leaves on New York’s trees just yet, but inside Eleven Madison Park, fall has arrived. Red, orange, and yellow leaves were blowing around the restaurant Sunday night for the 12th annual Autumn Harvest Dinner, a fund-raising event for Share Our Strength.

It’s a hands-on affair. Employees throughout the Union Square Hospitality Group, which owns Eleven Madison Park, put together the auction items and sewed napkin rings. The chef of Eleven Madison Park, Kerry Heffernan, brought in five other chefs to contribute to the six-course meal.

Miami chef Michelle Bernstein offered langoustines coated in pistachios. The rich nut showed up again on loin of lamb, one of Mr. Heffernan’s most popular dishes. Gabriel Kreuther of the Modern intensified cod by covering it with a thin layer of sliced chorizo. Raw tuna with avocado came from Joachim Splichal of Patina in Los Angeles, and Alberico Penati of Harry’s Bar in London gave everyone a breather with simple roasted chicken breast. Dessert was a 12-layer chocolate cake from Sherry Yard of Spago in Beverly Hills.

Guests enjoyed the meal at a leisurely pace, with the exception of Senator Clinton, who stopped by for a few bites of tuna and brief remarks before dashing off to another event.

“Share our Strength is one of the most effective not-for-profit organizations we have in this country,” Mrs. Clinton said, describing the organization’s executive director, William Shore, as “persistent, relentless, and determined.”

About the chief executive of the Union Square Hospitality Group, Danny Meyer:

“If it wouldn’t sound odd, I’d say he’s just a great dish,” Mrs. Clinton said.

Dermatologist Lisa Airan came with her fiance, Dr. Trevor Born, a plastic surgeon in Toronto. The couple has been dating for three years and became engaged in July in Napa. (Dr. Born proposed in a hot air balloon, with the words “Will you marry me” spelled out on placards on the ground.) The couple is off to Paris this weekend to look at antique engagement rings.

Union Square Hospitality Group is a strong presence in the community. This year it formalized its commitment by establishing a department for community investment, headed by Jenny Dirksen, who started at the company six years ago as a line cook at Tabla.

agordon@nysun.com