Enjoy The Fall Colors!

So all around the country this autumn people experienced some unusual fall colors.  Up north they had a lot of early white….

Buffalo, NY, after the snow storm.

Buffalo, NY, after the snow storm.

…while here in Texas we had some nice shades of orange, yellow and red in the foliage. 

Reds from a Farkleberry 

Yellows from a Winged Elm.

Texas usually isn’t really the place to look for Fall colors.  But since the temperatures have dropped and warmed up again I’ve noticed that even in College Station, we have some nice coloration. 

Not sure what this is but it has a nice yellow-green color that contrasts nicely with the darker green in Yaupon.

Reds and russets of the (Blackjack?) Oak.

More colors in an Oak.

Why are the colors so nice this year?  Well, looking up information on the great and powerful internet I ran across this USDA Forest Service page.  

A much abbreviated summary of the USDA page:

Fall colors are produced from three pigments in leaves: chlorophyll (green), carotenoids (yellows, oranges), and anthocyanins (reds, deep reds).   Chlorophyll and carotenoids are always present in the leave whereas anthocyanins are present in the fall due to increased sugar levels in the leaves as well as bright light. 

Temperature and moisture conditions throughout a year will determine intensity of colors, too. “A warm wet spring, favorable summer weather, and warm sunny fall days with cool nights should produce the most brilliant autumn colors.”

It seems that cold snap/polar vortex temperature drop from earlier in the month may have triggered a chemical response in the leaves of some of the local trees.   Combined with a fairly consistent rainfall this summer these conditions create the wonderful autumn colors we can see outside.

The colors at Lick Creek Park this past weekend were pretty spectacular even if we’re on the back-side of the peak colors.  And it’s not just the leaves… berries are out and the colors are particularly vibrant, too!

Brillant red Yaupon berries.

Popping purple American Beauty Berry.

Deep black Farkleberry.

So while we’re enjoying the heat wave of late November/early December… go out and enjoy the fall colors while they last!

References:

USDA Forest Service Page:  http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/pubs/leaves/leaves.shtm