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I recently read Matt Flower’s awesome post entitled “The Beauty of Fall Trees” where readers got a great overview of the magic of fall colors. After reading his post and looking at his stunning photos, I got excited to do a “piggy-back post” about the science behind autumn colors. Read on to find out more about what changes trees undergo in the fall. Why do leaves turn colors? How do they change color? Why do individual trees change to certain colors while others change to a completely different color?

It is with great pride and genuine excitement for the Urban Ecology Center (UEC), that I announce a very positive leadership transition at the Urban Ecology Center. In June, I will be stepping down from the Executive Director position and the organization will welcome new leadership. This is a change I have been working on with the UEC Board and staff for the past several years and I am happy to share that Jen Hense will become the UEC’s next Executive Director.

Fall is such a wonderful time of year. The entire forest turns into a spectacle of color and light — a showy and powerful promise from Mother Nature that if we huddle through these few cold months, she’ll be back and better than ever. Walking through the woods in fall, with a crisp silent breeze and only the sound of feet through dry leaves, one might think that the forest seems to be settling down for a big nap.

In the summer, it's difficult to see the individual trees when looking out across a tree line due to the overwhelming shades of green. But in the fall, trees are going through their process of getting ready to survive the cold Wisconsin winter, making it easier to identify specific trees and pinpoint the location of some spectacular examples!

Winter is on its way, and I'm preparing by unearthing the wool socks and long johns buried in the back of my closet, and by covering my windows with plastic (one of my least favorite chores). All this preparation makes me think of my little plant friends, who are also busy preparing for winter in their own way. How can a living thing freeze solid for months, then thaw out the next spring and continue on its merry way? And how can we humans help prepare our plants for their big sleep?