Tools For Finding Fall Colors Now Available

It happens at about this time every year. Minnesotans flock outside to behold the magnificent red, gold and orange color transformation.

The cause of this is chlorophyll production in tree leaves slows down and stops and the leaves lose their green color.

One tool that is available is the MN. D.N.R. Fall Color Finder, a trip-planning tool on the Department of Natural Resources webpage

( http://www.mndnr.gov/fallcolor ) that shows the progression of fall color across Minnesota.

Each Thursday beginning on Sept. 8, staff from Minnesota state parks and trails will update the trip-planning tool to help people find the finest color displays as well as fall color programs and special events. The website includes a slideshow and photo uploader so people can share their favorite images from the northernmost tip of Minnesota to the southernmost plains.

As a general rule, colors peak between mid-September and early October in the northern third of Minnesota, between late September and early October in the central third, and between late September and mid-October in the southern third (which includes the Twin Cities). Peak fall color typically lasts about two weeks, but that can vary widely, depending on location, elevation and weather. Trees at higher elevations are the earliest to show color change.