Fall Colors Arrive In Town: Head To The Mesa Trail

BOULDER, CO - Every fall, "leaf peepers" flock to Colorado's mountains to see iconic stands of aspen trees turn red, orange, and gold. This year, however, peepers had to rewrite their calendars as the mountain leaves changed weeks ahead of their normal schedule.

For those who missed out, there is good news–the foothills of Boulder are just beginning to change, and so far, the 2018 display has been brilliant. The sumacs are at their peak, creating a brilliant red path along the Mesa Trail. Within a week, the maples and ash trees in town should be at their peak as well–so long as a snow storm doesn't take off all the limbs!

The early mountain change is likely due to drought conditions across more than 70 percent of the state, according to interviews by 9News Denver with Dan West of the Colorado State Forest Service, and Dr. Danica Lombardozzi, a plant ecophysiologist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Trees gather energy through their green leaves with photosynthesis, but if the cost to maintain those healthy leaves outweighs the energy they are bringing in, trees drop 'em. Drought stresses trees, meaning they require more energy than usual to simply stay alive.
Leaf change is a response to the longer nights of fall rather than colder weather - that's why a shift in the aspens' calendar is so significant. The temperatures actually affect the colors the leaves turn, so if you do make it to the mountains soon, the change in timeline doesn't necessarily mean that colors won't be as brilliant.
Some scientists have broader concerns about long-term aspen health. As Bill Bowman, the director of the University of Colorado's Mountain Research Station, told the Daily Camera's Charlie Brennan, "There is concern about aspen health across the state, anyway. There has been a lot of death of aspen stands in the southwest over the last decade. That was a response to dry conditions, to drought, and unfortunately, that's something that's going to continue as well, with climate change."

Read more from the Daily Camera and 9News.
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Photo Credit: Beth Dalbey/Patch