Fall colors slowly creeping into Michiana

You may have noticed the trees changing color recently with more vibrant reds and oranges popping up each day.

Right now, we're starting to see a bit of those colors showing, but even then, still only on some trees. We have patchy coverage with some in southwest Michigan seeing partial or even near-peak coverage. Peak colors to our north are slowly making their way south, expected to move into Michiana later this month.

As soon as next week, we should be able to see partial coverage of fall colors, with a bit of peak color showing up in southwest Michigan. Most of Michiana won't be seeing peak color until late October, with leaves expected to turn brown and fall off the trees in early November.

We are all very familiar with these changing colors, but do you know why this turn from green to bright reds and oranges happens? Well, it all comes down to chemistry.

Trees get their green color from chlorophyll, a pigment in all green plants that helps the tree to absorb sunshine and turn it into food or energy. When summer turns to fall and we start to get cooler, the tree has to conserve energy to keep its core healthy. It does this by breaking down the chlorophyll and shedding leaves.

Once the chlorophyll is broken down, it allows for other pigments in the leaves to take center stage. These red, orange, and yellow pigments exist in the leaves all year long, but are outshined by the green chlorophyll for most of the year.

The best autumn colors come from seasons with plenty of sunshine and cool nights which help to break down the chlorophyll faster and let the underlying pigments shine through.