Lori Maxfield and Barbara Heitkamp of the Washington Conservation District enjoy the new boardwalk at Irving & John Anderson County Park. Photo: Angie Hong
Walk along the boardwalk at Irving & John Anderson County Park in southeastern Isanti County, and you might think you’ve stepped into a Dr. Seuss story. The wooden path winds through a tamarack bog, high and dry above the spongy, wet ground. Visit the park in October, and enjoy the unique experience of floating through a forest of gold.
Leaf peeping is a favorite pastime throughout the St. Croix Valley. As days grow shorter and temperatures cool in the fall, the chlorophyll in trees and plants breaks down faster than it is produced. As a result, the green fades and the yellow and orange pigments from carotenoid compounds emerge.
Sugar and red maples turn orange and red, while silver maples in floodplains along rivers and streams turn yellow. Oak trees develop rich, deep shades of red and brown and will hold their leaves long into the winter. Tamaracks, meanwhile, are the only conifers in our region that turn yellow and lose their needles in the winter.
Fall is also a beautiful and bug-free time to explore local prairies. Late bloomers, such as asters, bottle blue gentian, goldenrods and sneezeweed, will hold their flowers long into October, while native grasses, such as big bluestem, Indian grass and switchgrass, turn red and gold.
To plan your leaf-peeping adventures, check out the Minnesota DNR Fall Color Finder (dnr.state.mn.us) or Travel Wisconsin Fall Color Report (travelwisconsin.com), which are updated weekly.
Angie Hong coordinates the East Metro Water Education Program. Find her on Instagram at @mnnature_awesomeness.
