Kids head back to school in our area tomorrow, Labor Day weekend is coming up, and folks have begun to ask about fall colors.  Well, they will be coming to central Wisconsin soon enough, but not yet.  For the moment we’re in what I call the “late summer drowse”.  Everything is looking yellow and tired.  At first glance you’d think it was still summer, for the most part the world is still green. Yet, a closer examination will tell you the world is not quite “green” any longer. Things have taken on a subtle yellow hue.  There are fallen leaves in the gutters and out on the nature trails.  Their  not  colorful by any stretch, but mostly a mix of brown and yellows. They are still holding onto their moisture and providing none of the exhilarating “crunch” under foot.

Sumac on Uplands Trail - Devil's Lake State Park - 8/30/2010

Here and there you will find a hint to the coming cavalcade of color that defines autumn in Wisconsin. The reds of  October are beginning to show themselves in the tops of tired urban sugar maples along city streets and in the fans of a sumac, or the whips of trail side raspberry bushes.  But still true fall colors are a long way off.

Peak fall color in our area is determined by many factors; The summer season, the amount of sun and rain that greet the autumn, the  arrival of the first frosty cold snap. It’s safe to say that most years true fall colors won’t peak in central Wisconsin until early or mid-October.  One thing is certain, we’ll let you know when their here!

For more information please visit :

• Devil’s Lake State Park Fall Colors Page
• Travel Wisconsin Fall Color Report

Related Articles

1. Don’t Give Up On Fall Colors
2. Peak? We’re Calling It!
3. Fall Color?
4. Nature Takes Center Stage
5. Fall Color Cusp