Over the last few decades, Minnesota weather has become more and more unpredictable. In the past, we would expect the first significant snow to fall in November, and the last snowfall would be in April. However, this year we had a big snowstorm in October. We also had a significant snowfall in May. Even though the snow is beautiful, it is hard to enjoy it after a long cold winter when everyone is ready for warm weather.
This photo was taken in September when the temperatures typically do not get below freezing. Once we get a heavy frost, the leaves start to change colour as the days get shorter. This is because trees get less direct sunlight, and the chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down. The lack of chlorophyll reveals yellow and orange pigments already in the leaves but masked during the warmer months.
When I went out on the day I took this photo, I knew it was a bit early for autumn color, but I decided to go to a state park in the northern half of Minnesota. When I got to the park (Savanna Portage State Park}, I was excited to see a heavy frost covering the landscape. Although the trees had not really started to change color, I went back to this area a few days later, and the frost had caused the color to really pop!
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor