Autumn is the perfect time to engage in nature, as the leaves are just starting to turn from bright green to the plethora of oranges, yellows, reds and browns. The changing of colors in the fall is arguably the best part of the season! You can use leaf colors to help to identify the different tree species; oaks produce reds, browns, and russet colors. Birch and poplar have bright yellow leaves in the fall. Maples show up in orange, reds, and yellows. Shrubs such as dogwood and viburnum turn purple-red.
The leaves on most plants appear green during the growing season because of chlorophyll, a substance that absorbs most colors of sunlight except for the green color. Chlorophyll helps plants create food and is the dominant pigment in most leaves. As trees become less active in the fall, they produce less chlorophyll, causing the green color to fade and revealing other hidden pigments in the leaves. Pigments called carotenoids create yellow, orange, and brown colors, while anthocyanin pigments create shades of red, purple, and blue.
The weather that we receive during the growing season impacts the intensity and the variety of colors that appear. Severe drought can delay the fall colors, while warm and wet falls will dull the colors. If there is a severe early frost, leaves will not color, and will simply turn brown and fall off the tree. On the opposite, very warm fall temperatures accelerate the processes within leaves and shorten the length of time that the colorful leaves remain on plants. In the northern half of the state, color begins around Mid September and wraps up in the southern counties near the end of October. This year, for Appleton, peak color is expected the third week of October. View the color tracker here: https://www.travelwisconsin.com/fall-color-report
Outagamie County is blessed with a plethora of beautiful natural areas to be able to enjoy the fall colors and autumn weather. Some places you may want to go explore:
