If you have driven the highways and byways of Northwest Georgia in recent days, perhaps you have noticed that brilliant fall colors have begun to pop up amongst the trees.
So what makes the leaves explode with color each fall? Keith Mickler, UGA Extension Agent for Floyd County, asserts that the breakdown of chlorophyll paves the way for other pigments to start showing, such as orange, red, purple and reddish-purple.
Shorter days trigger the color change, indicates Mickler. The transition is not attributable to a drop in temperatures as widely believed. Mickler adds that a few overcast days would boost the brilliance of fall color for this area, though an early frost would lead the trees to shed their leaves a little sooner.
Mickler will team with Terry Page, City of Rome Arborist, to lead locals on a Tree Walk around Rome this Halloween, Thursday, October 31st. Participants will meet at noon at Bridgepoint Plaza. Contact the UGA Extension Office to learn more – (706) 295-6210.
Track fall color around the state through the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites’ Leaf Watch 2019. Information is online at www.gastateparks.org.