On the Trail: The fall color show is underway

Fall is a great time to get outside and go for a hike! The temperatures are cooler, the bugs are fewer, and the poison ivy has started to turn bright red, making it much easier to see.

Of course, in fall the forests are also a beautiful and fiery mix of yellow, orange and red as opposed to the summertime's sea of green. But the fall color show only lasts a short time, and the peak varies from year-to-year.

SmokyMountains.com made an interactive map that shows the progression of fall color all over the country. The map pulls historical data and seasonal forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to predict the precise moment peak fall will occur.

According to the map, southern Illinois will be at near peak beginning the week of Oct 19 and will reach peak fall color the week of Oct. 26. So, the next few weekends are the perfect time to plan a fall hike.

A couple of my favorite places to get an overview of the extensive southern Illinois forests are from the viewing platform on the water tower at Giant City State Park and from the top of Bald Knob on the grounds of the giant cross.

On the trail, the views from Garden of the Gods in the fall are perhaps unmatched in southern Illinois. And the lookout along the Little Grand Canyon trail can also offer a stunning overview of our forests in their fall colors.

Why and how do leaves change color in the fall, you ask? (To the delight of the biologist in me.)

The leaves of summer are characteristically green because they contain lots of chlorophyll. As autumn approaches, the leaves begin their senescence and the chlorophyll breaks down. As the chlorophyll breaks down, hidden pigments of yellow and orange are revealed. And red pigments begin to be synthesized de novo. (You will not be tested on this!)

Of course, the colorful sugar maple is perhaps the most iconic fall color trees. It's fall color can range from yellow to orange to red. And sometimes you can find a leaf that all those colors and a little bit of green, too!

But fall colors of several other tree species are worth mentioning.

The leaves of the little dogwood trees in the forest understory can turn an almost blood red with candy red berries tipping each branchlet. The often mitten-shaped leaves of the little sassafras trees can rival the variety of colors donned by the sugar maple. And the variety of colors in a single sweet gum tree makes me think of a fireworks display.

Every trail is different and beautiful through the seasons and in the fall any hike can be a colorful, "no-regrets" strategy.

Mike Baltz has a PhD in biology from the University of Missouri and writes about changing the world from his home in Carbondale.