FALL COLOR REPORTS AVAILABLE

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the USDA Forest Service are offering a poster and a toll-free telephone number to help Missourians make the most of autumn.

The reds and golds that appear on nature's palette each October are there throughout the growing season. They are masked by the green pigment chlorophyll during the summer. Fall colors begin to show when trees' solar-powered food manufacturing operations shut down and the amount of chlorophyll dwindles.

This usually takes place between the beginning and the middle of October, according to Bruce Palmer, information specialist for MDC's Forestry Division. The interplay of temperature and rainfall just before the leaves turn is critical in determining how vivid the colors will be, said Palmer. But he said every year's display has its special appeal. "Some years are more spectacular than others, but there's really no such thing as a bad year for fall color."

Palmer said weather also can change the timing of autumn's color peak. To help Missourians catch the climax of the autumn display, the Forest Service offers a toll-free fall color hot line. Dialing 1-800- 898-8895 will get you an update of the progress of the color change and advice about routes where the best colors are found.

MDC also offers help finding the best areas. "Missouri's Season of Splendor," a colorful 23- x 33-inch poster, includes a road map of good routes for viewing fall colors. Color illustrations show how and why leaves change color, and just in case you can't get out, there are photographs of spectacular Missouri fall landscapes. Single copies of the poster are available at no cost from: Season of Splendor, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.