Fall officially begins tomorrow, Tuesday, September 23, on the Autumnal Equinox.  The days are getting shorter, and if you’re so lucky as to not spend part of your morning commute driving, biking, riding the bus, or walking in the dark, then you might be able to figure it out by looking at the leaves. Even though it still feels like summer outside, the leaves are still turning. Actually, the color change doesn’t have as much to do with the weather as it does the length of night. Chlorophyll, which allows green plants to photosynthesize or absorb energy from light, starts to be produced less and less as night length increases, until production shuts off. Chlorophyll gives plants their green color so when there is less of it being produced, other pigments already present in the leaf begin to appear. While this is happening, the leaf is very slowly being excommunicated by it’s tree; the veins that carry fluids to the leaf are being sealed off until eventually the leaf falls to the ground.

But quick, before that can happen, get out to some parks!  In Boulder County, late September and early October are prime leaf-peeping times.  Almost anywhere you go with trees (as long as they’re not just evergreens), will be alive with golden color, but of course, I do have some recommendations. I’m Lizzie, and I work for Boulder County Parks and Open Space so I like to think I know some things about the parks around the county.

Since Late September is peak for colors in the Mountains, get out to the Mountains this weekend and then hang around the front range starting in October.

First off if you want to go to one of your favorite parks to check out the leaves, I recommend a park with water (creek, reservoir, lake)- that will likely mean there are willows, cottonwoods, aspen, or some other deciduous trees- they like water! And I like their brilliant golden leaves!