Weather Wednesday: Fall Colors After a Drought

FARGO — One of the best parts of this time of year is the beautiful fall colors we get to enjoy, but this season, you might want to temper those expectations. "Trees are very smart," said Don Kinzler, the Horticulture Agent for NDSU Extension. They might not be able to read a calendar, but they still know it s time to get ready for winter. They can tell the days are getting shorter, and that's a trigger to slow down their growth [T]he leaves start breaking down the chlorophyll, and as that green pigment disappears, then the yellows come through, Kinzler continued. Combine those shorter days with cooler temperatures, and you get wonderful, warm colors painting the landscape. But this year? The slower growth...that we had because of those weather extremes, we're not going to see as vibrant of colors this year. They just can't form the pigments that they normally would, Kinzler said. That doesn t mean there aren t good colors to be found. The r