Fall Colors Are Already Sneaking Their Way Into Wyoming
Here comes September.
Have you seen the slight hint of fall colors appearing on some trees?
This Wyoming summer has spoiled us.
It's still green out there.
The rain just keeps coming.
For the most part, the temperatures have remained below the recorded average, for what little time humans have been keeping track of the temperatures.
Labor Day is next Monday.
That's when our first cool front comes down from Canada.
Not a cold front, just a cool front.
Still, here it comes.
Some trees in the low elevations are showing a hint of color.
That means, to see more, go higher, up into the mountains.
But it will still be just a little while longer before we get anywhere near peak colors.
It's not fall yet.
But we are getting close.
The first day of fall is on Saturday, September 23, 2023.
Fall is not the same day every year.
Fall officially begins September 22 or 23.
It happened on September 21 or 24.
But the last time we had a September 21 fall equinox was over a thousand years ago!
If you look at the weather map and follow the low-pressure systems forming north of us, fall weather is brewing, and lining up.
We can actually see it forming.
That still does not mean anything big, yet, but the cooler fall season has already begun.
Have you noticed the days getting shorter?
Trees get less direct sunlight during this time of year.
That causes the chlorophyll in the leaves to break down.
That lack of chlorophyll will bring out the yellow and orange pigments that were already in the leaves but masked during the warmer months.
Daylight saving time here in Wyoming is November 5th, so we have a while before our lives are screwed up with the fall time change.
Rember, Spring forward - Fall back.