by Tim Baker, northwest region horticulture specialist
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Northwest Missouri is one of those places which definitely has four seasons. Hot summers and cold winters are the norm. But one difference I’ve noted after moving from Southeast Missouri to Gallatin is that our springs and falls are longer-lived up here. The autumn season, especially, is usually long-drawn out, providing delightful weather to enjoy before winter hits again.
The highlight of fall to me is the beautiful range of colors that trees provide. October especially finds brilliant displays of oranges, reds, and yellows, if you are in the right place.
Finding the right place is not always easy. Sometimes homeowners choose trees to plant in their yard based on the tree’s fall color. That’s a great idea, but you are usually dealing with single trees, not entire forests displaying brilliant colors.
Typically, our Missouri forests may show a spot of color here and there, but most of the trees turn various shades of brown before they lose their leaves for the winter.
In short, Missouri isn’t Vermont, when it comes to fall colors.
There are, however, a few places in Missouri where you can find beautiful colors. One of my favorites is Crowder State Park, in Grundy County. There are a few places in the park, especially around the lake, where there are an abundance of sugar maples. Sugar maples are what draw people to Vermont every fall. But Trenton is a lot closer.
If you have a favorite place for fall colors in Missouri or a nearby state, give me a call. I’ll compile any suggestions for my next article. You can reach me at 660-663-3232. I’ll also go into the science behind leaf color changes for my next column as well.
One thing I won’t do is predict if this will be a good year for fall color or not. It does vary every year, and we’ll just have to wait until it gets here to see.
There are, however, several web sites that are helpful in tracking the progression of fall colors, and reading reports about fall colors at specific locations. You can find links to them on my web site at: http://extension.missouri.edu/nwregion/hort/links.shtml.