Lori Maxfield and Barbara Heitkamp of the Washington Conservation District enjoy the new boardwalk at Irving & John Anderson County Park. Photo: Angie Hong
Enjoying the changing, colorful leaves is a favorite pastime for Minnesotans. As days grow shorter and temperatures cool in the fall, the chlorophyll in trees and plants breaks down faster than it is produced. As a result, the green fades, and the yellow and orange pigments from carotenoid compounds emerge.
Sugar and red maples turn orange and red, while silver maples in floodplains along rivers and streams turn yellow. Oak trees develop rich, deep shades of red and brown and will hold their leaves long into the winter. Tamaracks, meanwhile, are the only conifers in our region that turn yellow and then lose their needles in the winter.
Fall is also a beautiful and bug-free time to explore local prairies. Late bloomers, such as asters, bottle blue gentian, goldenrods and sneezeweed hold their flowers long into October, while native grasses, such as big bluestem, Indian grass and switchgrass, turn red and gold.
To plan your leaf-peeping adventures, check out the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fall Color Finder (dnr.state.mn.us), which is updated weekly.
Angie Hong coordinates the East Metro Water Education Program. Find her on social media @mnnature_awesomeness.
