![]() This is a tremendous area to visit, but the beauty of fall color can be found throughout the entire state. In Iowa when people talk fall color displays the northeast section of the state is often mentioned. These colorful displays are often cut short by heavy winds, rainfall, and freezing temperatures which can actually kill leaf tissue and cause the leaves to fall early. Clear days, cool nights, and dry conditions promote high quality fall color. There are many things such as temperature, moisture, rain, wind, and the availability of sunlight that impact the quality of fall color. In general, fall color change occurs between the middle of September and the middle of October. The timing, intensity, and quality of fall color varies each year throughout the state and even on the trees scattered in your yard or neighborhood. ![]() For example, in species such as the sumacs, hard maples, white oak, red oak, and white ash the pigments that provide the eye-catching red and purple colors are actually not in the leaf until they are produced during the fall. Not all pigments are present in the leaves throughout the summer. As the green color disappears, the hidden pigments are unmasked and their beauty is released. In fall as the days become shorter and cooler the production of chlorophyll slows down and eventually stops. Throughout the summer the pigments that give us fall colors such as orange, yellow, and brown are produced in the leaves, but they are hidden by the green chlorophyll. The green color we see every spring comes from the pigment called chlorophyll. The color we see when we look at leaves comes from cells called pigments. People often travel hundreds to thousands of miles to see the annual leaf color change in different parts of the U.S., but in Iowa we are fortunate that the beauty of fall is often close by, or just a few hours away from our back door. As the different types of trees show their many variations of purple, yellow, red, brown, and orange we know that winter is close by. When we think of fall we often think of apple pie, football, volleyball, carving pumpkins, cool weather, and the beautiful display of tree foliage changing colors.
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