If the weather is right, fall can be a beautiful time of year in the Truckee Meadows. As the sun angle lowers, the color of the leaves change. A lower sun angle means shorter days and less sunlight. Chlorophyll not only produces the green color in trees, but also absorbs sunlight. During the fall, trees change colors as the chlorophyll goes away.
Yellow and orange pigments are pretty consistent year to year, but the vibrancy of reds and purples are more so dependent on the weather. Mild, near average sunny days and clear cool nights produces the most vibrant fall colors. Cloudy and warm nights can make the colors more muted. Dry soils can also delay the onset of fall colors.
The warm weather during the day helps to produce a lot of sugars in some trees, especially those with red leaves and then at night the cold air keeps the sap from seeping into the trunk of the tree or its branches. This process enhances the production of Anthocyanin, which is responsible for the reddish hues we see during the fall. A great place to go exploring is in Hope Valley, or in Galena. Rancho San Rafael is another good place to see the fall colors.
"Just the variety, having the green, oranges, reds for Christmas photos,” said local, James Jackson. He was taking photos with his family.
According to smokymountains.com our leaves are reaching their peak this week, and will begin to lose their vibrancy the week of October 24th. Same for Lake Tahoe.
