Fall Changes

Images of the Month for October:

Signs of Fall

The graph on the left is for Wednesday, September 28.

The red bars show the high temperatures for Wednesday, September 28. The blue bars show the low temperatures overnight on Wednesday night.

The graph on the right is for Thursday, September 29.

What differences do you notice between the two days?

At this time of year, the days and nights are going to be getting cooler – a sure sign of Fall. Let’s watch as temperatures change across the state in the next few weeks!

Check back daily to see the latest graphs.

Junior Naturalist Challenges:

1. Which city was hottest during the day yesterday? How about overnight?

Which city was coolest during the day yesterday? How about overnight?

2. Do you live in a town not listed on the graph? Write to me at mball@cn.edu and tell me about your weather!

Leaf Color Change: Another Sign of Fall

Another sure sign of Fall is that leaves are beginning to change color.

Here are some pictures of the dogwood tree beside my building at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

I took these pictures on September 30, but I’ll be adding new pictures every Friday. Please read my weekly report.

This dogwood tree is up against the building. I wonder if it would change color sooner (or maybe later) if it were “out in the open”. What do you think?

Notice that many of the leaves show some red. Even on a single leaf, some “patches” are red and some are still green. Notice how easy it is to see the clusters of red berries! I wonder why the berries are red! What do you think?

The leaves on the left are on the “outside” and on the sunny side of the tree. The leaves on the right are “deep inside” and close to the trunk, where it is very shady. They show hardly any red at all. I wonder why. What do you think?

Junior Naturalist Challenges:

1. Make a prediction. When do you think my tree will completely change color? Will it take 1 week? 2 weeks? Longer?

2. Do you have a digital camera? Take a picture of a tree that is beginning to change colors on your school grounds. Email it to me at mball@cn.edu and I’ll put it on our website! Be sure to include your school name and location. If you know what kind of tree it is, include that information. If you don’t know what kind it is, send in a close-up picture of the leaves. We’ll see if anyone can identify it!

Last updated on October 24, 2005