Rest Assured, Fall Colors Are Coming

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources expects the leaves to begin turning within the next few weeks.

(Undated) – Wondering where all that fall foliage has been hiding? You should start to see the fall colors pop soon.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the turn to cooler weather this week should allow trees to seriously start changing colors and shedding their leaves. The peak of the color should appear in the next two to four weeks, depending on weather.

“With all the events going on in parks and orchards and other fall destinations, you’re going to enjoy the ambiance no matter what,” says Carrie Tauscher, IDNR’s Division of Forestry Community & Urban Forestry program coordinator. “Just get outside and enjoy the fall.”

The radiance of the colors will depend largely on two factors: overnight low temperatures and soil moisture. Those levels have varied greatly throughout the state, says Tauscher.

How do leaves change color this time of the year? As the IDNR explains, leaves produce pigments that give them color. During spring and summer, the green pigment, chlorophyll, is dominant. When days become shorter, other pigments in the leaf become visible as the amount of chlorophyll dwindles.

Tauscher says property owners should consider mulching their fallen leaves and allow them to absorb into the ground and continue providing nutrients for the next growing season. Another idea is to layer them onto planting beds, which provides nutrients and protection against wind erosion.

The program coordinator prefers either option over bagging the leaves and sending them to a landfill.

“It kills me when people throw all those good leaves to the curb,” she says.