Fall is full of color — if you know where to look

With their shades of pink, purple, yellow and white, spring wildflowers usually get the credit for bringing the most color to the preserves. And while their bright colors are beautiful, the autumn season is full of color too! After the leaves start to fall, those colors are not as bright and may be more subtle, but they bring no less beauty to the preserve. 

(Photo by Glenn P. Knoblock)

In fact, this is one of the best times of year to get outside and count the colors! While it’s easy to say the grass is brown and the leaves are red (or gone), take a closer look; Mother Nature provided a beautiful palette of fall colors for us to enjoy. 

Red 

The bright red leaves of October fall to the ground and become crunchy piles in November. Even though the trees might mostly be bare, there’s a few leaves that are still hanging there. 

That means a year-round bird is now even more easy to see, with its cherry-colored plumage and call of “purdy, purdy, purdy.” Do you know which bird it might be? Did you guess the northern cardinal? 

Yellow 

Those leaves that don’t turn red turn often gold before they shrivel to brown and depart from the branch. 

Green 

Some shades of green are still lingering in grasses, lawns and shrubs. But some green that is easy to overlook is on the trees. No, not leaves, but short plants that live on growing trees, overturned stumps and heavy stones: mosses.

Find a twig or small branch on the ground and take a closer look. Or better yet, if you have a magnifying glass, take it on your next nature walk. How many different mosses can you find growing on one branch? What do they feel like? 

Brown 

Sometimes you must crouch down to appreciate all the different shades of brown. 

Turkey tail fungi on a log. (Photo by Jenna Krukowski)

Here on this fallen tree, as you can see, is a circle of fungi with different shades of brown and tan. Do you know the species? It is named after a feathery friend often talked about in November. If you guessed turkey or turkey tail, you’re right! 

Scattered around white and red oak trees are acorns, seeds that fell off the tree with or without their hat. At this time of year, you might just find the cup (or cupule) of the acorn, as brown animals like the chipmunk or the eastern fox squirrel hide away the delicious nut for midwinter meals. 

Tan 

Those grasses that stand tall year-round fade from green to tan in the fall. Sometimes hiding amongst them is a sign of a dark brown friend — the beaver. Whenever these tree-loving critters are around, they leave gnaw marks on the tree, just about a foot off the ground. These beaver chews expose the light wood beneath the grays and browns of the outer bark in the forest. 

Blue 

Did you see that? A flash of blue? This color is often rare, it’s true. Following the color is a loud call of “JAY-JAY! JAY-JAY” It’s a blue jay, announcing its way. Our ears make no mistake, but our eyes are easily fooled. The blue we see is just an optical illusion.

A blue jay. (Photo courtesy of Chad Morsch)

The feathers of the blue jay (and other blue birds) contain a brown pigment called melanin. These birds appear blue because of light scattering. Their wings contain tiny pockets of air and keratin. When light hits the pockets, all the colors of the wavelength are absorbed except blue. Instead, the blue light is refracted, which allows us to see the feathers as blue. 

Orange 

Bright fungi such as Jack-o’-lanterns, chanterelles and chicken of the woods stand out with their orange and gold colors, especially compared to the brown forest floor. 

Black 

Flying silhouettes of dark crows, turkey vultures and songbirds fill the sky, yet it’s the murmuration of another dark bird that catches our eyes. Starlings. Dozens, sometimes hundreds, of birds with constellation-like plumage gather and seem to dance as one. 

White 

Sometimes we see a quick flicker of white — the tails of deer standing upright. Some of the best times to see our two-toed friends are in the orange glow of an early setting sun. 

A frost-covered landscape at Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve. (Photo courtesy of Michelle Wendling)

As fall transitions to winter, you might start to notice less gray fog and more white frost coating dark brown logs and green street signs. Those muted colors of the fall appear more vibrant against the crisp frost or newly fallen snow. 

Count the colors next time you head outside! What other shades and species can you find on a beautiful late autumn day?