© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Discover Nature: Autumn in Missouri Woods

Autumn offers one of the most colorful times of year to get outside for a nature hike or fall float trip. As tree leaves slowly begin to change color, watch also for fall flowers, ripening persimmons, and emerging mushrooms.

This week on Discover Nature, get outside and enjoy a show of fall foliage, fruits, fungi, and flowers. 

 

Fall color in Missouri’s trees has been off to a slow start, with much green remaining on the landscape. But, with cooler temperatures and waning daylight hours, chlorophyll – the compound that makes leaves green – is breaking down, revealing pigments that have been hidden all summer. 

 

In central Missouri, hickories and maples are turning red and yellow, while dogwoods continue to show off a muted purple. 

 

In northeast Missouri, sycamores, cottonwoods, and elms are fading, with maples, ashes, and hickories displaying brilliant reds, golden yellow, and bronze. 

 

Watch for late season flowers blooming now, too, such as asters and goldenrod. 

 

Among the mosaic of colors, keep an eye out for fall mushrooms like puffballs and chicken-of-the-woods. Persimmon fruits are also hanging on bare branches and ripening quickly. 

 

Exercise caution when spending time in nature this fall, as colder weather moves in and hunters share more of our natural areas. But don’t miss out on one of the most beautiful seasons for a nature hike or fall float trip in Missouri. 

 

Find weekly regional updates on fall color including hotspots where you can find great opportunities to get out and take in the seasonal splendor with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) and learn more about different species of trees, mushrooms, and flowers you’ll find in the fall with the MDC online field guide

 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Kyle Felling was born in the rugged northwest Missouri hamlet of St. Joseph (where the Pony Express began and Jesse James ended). Inspired from a young age by the spirit of the early settlers who used St. Joseph as an embarkation point in their journey westward, Kyle developed the heart of an explorer and yearned to leave for adventures of his own. Perhaps as a result of attending John Glenn elementary school, young Kyle dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but was disheartened when someone told him that astronauts had to be good at math. He also considered being a tow truck driver, and like the heroes of his favorite childhood television shows (The A-Team and The Incredible Hulk) he saw himself traveling the country, helping people in trouble and getting into wacky adventures. He still harbors that dream.
Related Content