HILBERT (NBC 26) — From red, orange, yellow, purple, brown, green, and everything in between, it's a fun time of year to go outside and see the different color leaves.
Lindsay Meyer, the Calumet County Parks Office and Program Manager, says the leaf changing season is one of the busiest times of the year.
"Fall we definitely see kind of an uptick," she said.
"I'd say this time of year we tend to have people maybe hanging out for a little bit longer in the parks. It's really not cold yet so they are able to maybe enjoy the temperatures and the weather a little bit longer as well as checking out the fall colors."
So what causes the leaves to change colors? It's something we see every year, but many don't necessarily think about.
For those answers I asked our resident weather expert, NBC 26 Chief Meteorologist Cameron Moreland.
"Chlorophyll is what gives the leaves that green color but as the days start to shorten, that chlorophyll production decreases," explained Moreland. "That allows some of the hidden colors to start to show up."
This cycle happens every year, but it's still special to those who love the fall colors.
"It brings you back almost like when you were a kid," said Tony Maas, an Appleton native who has been camping at Calumet County Park for the better part of 25 years.
He says during this time of year, there's something new to experience every day.
"Everything can change. The colors, believe it or not, tomorrow it will be a different color again. So every day is kind of an amazing adventure of nature doing its thing," said Maas
The Calumet Parks Department says it's hard to predict when it might be too late to see the colorful leaves, but they expect the next week or two to be just as vibrant as they are now.
