Change of seasons brings colors to life

For fall's few months, the world becomes a more colorful place.

"I love the fall colors and the leaves -- it's a beautiful thing," said Angel Skaggs, taking a break from yardwork on a sunny Saturday afternoon. "It's a nice change of pace from the heat, and it carries you over to winter, when you don't have a lot of color."

The leaves already are starting to turn colors, but it's only going to get better, according to Rocky Hayes, a forester at the Missouri Department of Conservation office at Cape Girardeau County Park.

For most species of trees, Hayes said, the colors will continue to change and then peak about Oct. 25, give or take three days.

"Some of that depends on getting a lot of rainy, windy days," Hayes said. "What makes the best leaves is if you have sunny, warm days and cool nights."

Most leaves will fall after a heavy frost, which has eluded the area so far, he said. When that happens, the leaves will start changing pretty fast.

"Every year it's good," he said. "Some are just better than others. On a scale of one to 10, we should be about an eight or so."

Hayes also enjoys the colors of the leaves, recommending maple trees, which he said are especially brilliant, as well as sweet gums and dogwoods.

Hayes gave a quick primer on why the leaves change. During the growing season, chlorophyll gives the leaves their green color. During the cooler months, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis and the leaves no longer can produce the green pigment.

"When the green pigment starts to disappear, we can see the other pigments that were already there," Hayes said. "The chlorophyll is vanishing, and the other pigments are showing up."

Regardless of the science, Owl Creek Vineyard manager Jeff Bean loves the fall's colors. Just last weekend, Union County -- where the vineyard is located -- celebrated the beautiful autumn with its annual Union County Colorfest.

"There's lots of brilliant reds, oranges and yellows -- every color of the rainbow," he said. "The past few years we had a drought so the colors weren't so great. This year it's wonderful."

Oscar Welker of Jackson also loves to watch the season change to fall -- for the cooler temperatures as well as the colorful leaves.

"It's just kind of refreshing right now," he said. "It's nice to see this before the cold weather comes."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137