Pandemic means more people outdoors to enjoy colors of fall

Across the country, autumn is the season of colorful fall foliage and the seasonal harvest.

In southeast Missouri, the changing of the leaves has already begun, and Missourians are picking pumpkins and apples as an excuse to experience the season.

According to Jack Knowlan of Knowlan Family Farm in Burfordville, there have been more visitors than usual this season to pick apples and pumpkins from the fields off of Highway 34. He attributed this to the ongoing pandemic since it has made outdoor spaces and activities more sought after.

The picking season is slowly coming to an end after it began in late August, but what will last to some of the final days of the season are the changing colors of the leaves. The leaves in southeast Missouri are currently a mix of greens and vibrant warm hues, such as yellow and orange, with the occasional red.

All this leading toward soon-to-be-here winter.

(From left) Presley Bartley, 4, picks a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch while her mother Jenna Bartley watches at Knowlan Family Farm in Jackson on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.Sarah Yenesel ~ sarahy@semissourian.com