It won't take long before we see bright yellows, oranges, and reds on the leaves.
There are two big reasons why we see such vivid Fall colors in the next month. The first is the longer nights and the second is weather.
With the amount of sunlight decreasing each day, the chlorophyll in the leaves is decreasing. Chlorophyll is a chemical pigment that makes leaves green. Chlorophyll absorbs light most strongly in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, followed by the red portion. Chlorophyll is a poor absorber of green and near-green portions of the spectrum. And that's why leaves aren't blue!
But there are other pigments in plants which determine whether leaves will change to yellow, orange, red, or brown.
Leaves that become red are using anthocyanin pigments. Anthocyanin is the main pigment which makes cranberries, red apples, cherries, and strawberries red. But not all trees produce this type of pigment so only some trees have the ability to turn leaves red.
All of this occurs because of light depletion. But the weather is also a factor in Fall color, especially for the bright reds (which are a crowd favorite). This week's bright and sunny days occurring back to back will have a positive effect. A long string of warm, sunny days in September can signal some good red color in the weeks to come!
So get ready for some great color this Fall season. We've got nearly optimal conditions coming our way! As always, please share your Fall photos with us via e-mail or social media.
Here's a look where fall color is already showing up, compared with the peak color dates.
