As daylight wanes the air turns crisp and chilled as it blows from the mountain tops to the west. The land begins its annual turn in color to the rich gold and vibrant reds and oranges of fall. With each year having its own unique variations on the turn of color, 2022 has decided to begin a good bit later than seasons past. While the change happened seemingly overnight, it is also deciding to diminish with the same rapidity.
Unlike many other areas of the country, the mountains of Colorado are home to very few deciduous trees. We don’t see near the variety of colors witnessed elsewhere, but all deciduous trees rely on the same shortening of days to bring out their vibrant display.
As trees begin to bud and sprout in the spring, the new leaves grow in packed with the chemical chlorophyll, which is used to make and process their life-giving sugars. This subsequently provides oxygen, but also gives the rich green color we know (or at least think we do) these large plants to be. That said, the green color we know so well is actually just the chlorophyll.
As the seasons turn to shorter days, the lack of sunlight triggers the growth of a cork-like layer of cells where the leaf connects to the tree called an abscission layer. This new layer prohibits the transportation of sugars and water along with the chlorophyll, and as the chlorophyll dissipates, it reveals the true pigment yellow and orange colors of the leaves. If enough sugars remain in the leaves, they help to produce anthocyanins which create the deep reds of autumn.
While this explains the basic process, there are three factors which define the turn for a given season; sunlight, temperature and moisture. Ideal conditions for a long and vibrant change are sunny days, cool nights (yet not cold enough for frost), and little moisture. Early frost tends to dramatically shorten the process, often causing the leaves to fall before a full change occurs, if a change happens at all.
Extremely dry summers can also cause an early drop of the leaves with little or no change in color. In a year such as this, with copious rainfall throughout the summer, and cloudy and rainy days as we transition to fall, the lack of sunlight and over- abundant moisture are causing a rapid change in color with some trees not changing much at all before the dry up and take their plunge to the earth below.
As we are seeing now, the turn for the year is a beautiful one, given the abundant sunshine that accompanied the rainy afternoons of summer, yet will be brief due to the longer cloudy cold and rainy periods of September. All the more reason to get out and savor this fleeting treasure in our back yard while it lasts, even if it means braving the masses heading to the hills take in the glory of our stunning mountain home.
Information for this article can be found at https://blog. walkingmountains.org/ curious- nature/2011/09/colorado-fall-colors- why-does-color-intensity-vary-from- year-to-year.
For additional information about James DeWalt Photography, check out https://jamesdewaltphotography.com
