WINONA, Minn. – The Winona bluffs have begun their early fall shift to yellow even before any frost. And it’s er early. A state environmental biologist, Pete Boulay, said the early change is due partly to drought. The good news, he said, is that progress through the yellow-bronze-red spectrum may be elongated. “Not all leaves are going to change at once,” he said. “Some trees are driven by temperature, some trees are driven by light.” Boulay noted that this is Minnesota’s fourth consecutive year with below normal precipitation levels.
Autumn dropping southward. The latest autumn color mapping. Dots represent state parks. Image: Minnesota Natural Resources Department