Fall Colors Beginning to Show

(KNSI) – Color is showing as far south as Charles Lindbergh State Park near Little Falls.

In an update posted this morning, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says the trees have changed to 10-25% of the expected peak. Color is about two weeks early. The primary driver is shortening days, but there are other factors. Forest Health Program Consultant Brian Schwingle talks about temperature’s role in the process.

“Red, pink, purple…those come from a different set of pigments. They’re called anthocyanins, and they’re produced in some –not all, but some tree species in late summer and fall, especially when days are warm and sunny but not freezing.”

Climatologist Kenny Blumenfeld says September fits that bill more often. It is warming up, keeping summer around later.

“Over the last century-plus, a typical place in Minnesota has added about two to three weeks to its growing season, meaning the conditions where temperatures are entirely above freezing. And we’re seeing this with other metrics, too. So, you would expect that as much as temperature is a driver of this, there might be some other changes.”

Blumenfeld says other statistics tell the same story. Minnesota is consistently seeing temperatures reach 70 degrees later into the year, for example.

The change has begun as far south as Charles Lindbergh State Park in Little Falls, which is already over 10% of peak color. Droughts typically bring more muted colors, but that isn’t guaranteed.

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