Fall leaves: How bright will they be, and how long will they stay?

Don't expect to see a lot of vibrant fall colors this year.

And when the colors do come, don't expect to see them for very long.

The drought the Southeast Missouri area has experienced dating back to last year is the reason, said A.J. Hendershott, regional supervisor for outreach and education with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Drought causes stress on trees, as do heat waves like the area experienced this summer. Couple those conditions with the late April freeze earlier this year, and you have what Hendershott calls a "one-two-three punch" working against bright colors.

That stress in turn lessens the brightness of fall colors, but doesn't stop the change completely.

"They're going to change, they're just not going to be as eye-popping," said Hendershott.

In addition to being less vibrant, Hendershott said they'll also be patchy this year. The peak color time in Southeast Missouri is usually the last week of October, but when trees are stressed that peak might come early.

Some leaves locally have already turned brown and have fallen. Many regions of the state will also experience a lack of color this fall, or premature color, according to the Department of Conservation Web site.