Falling into a midwest autumn

LMQC’s outdoor bloggers, Teri Stickler and Kaia, set out to find this fall’s most brilliant colors. Along the way, they re-discovered some favorite parks and drove some of the most color-filled backroads in the Mississippi Valley. Come on the adventure with them!

By Teri Stickler and her Samoyed, Kaia

It’s easy to celebrate our glorious fall with so many parks and recreational areas within a few miles or a day’s drive of the Quad Cities.

LMQC outdoor bloggers Teri Stickler and her faithful (and fuzzy) companion, Kaia.

To celebrate, Kaia and I have compiled our favorite leaf-peeping suggestions for fall adventures, both close to home and just north of the Quad Cities.

Our favorite parks for fall colors (near and far)

Within our metro area, perennial favorites include Blackhawk State Historic Site, Rock Island, Devil’s Glen Park, Bettendorf, Scott County Park, Scott County, Iowa, and Loud Thunder Forest Preserve, Rock Island County. Another great park is Illiniwek Forest Preserve, Hampton, Illinois.

I would suggest visiting places that have a diversity of deciduous trees: Oak, Maple, Hickory, and even some sumac will augment the color spectrum.

If you have the time and want to enjoy a little drive upriver, our favorite fall palette is in the McGregor/Marquette, Iowa, area, just across the river from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Just driving into town will have you “oohing and ahhing” at the gorgeous bluffs and hillsides.

Besides the two cities, other parks nearby are Effigy Mounds National Monument and Pikes Peak State Park. Both are quite exceptional.

The science behind fall colors

No fall is ever the same, so when we venture out for leaf peeping, we try to head to different parks every year.

Leaf color changes are most influenced by the increasing length of night as fall arrives. The nights become longer and cooler, and biochemical changes take place in the leaves. Then, depending on three specific pigments, Carotenoids, Anthocyanin, and Chlorophyll, various tree species reveal specific, otherwise hidden colors.

Oaks show red, brown, and russet; Hickories, a golden bronze; Maples can be anything from scarlet red to orange-red or even brilliant yellow.

The combination of sunny, warm days combined with cool, crisp nights (no freezing, though,) brings these wonderful colors. Of course, soil moisture also affects color.

Kaia’s attempt at hiding among the pumpkins was not all that successful..

As to this fall, and because summer droughts delay the coming of fall color by a few weeks, this scenario might have been true for this year.

A car ride past harvested fields is always a real Grant Wood experience!

Roadside markets filled with all the colors of pumpkins, gourds, bittersweet apples, and plaid shirts. A drive up a winding road to Pikes Peak Park presents its fabulous birds-eye view of the river valley. A walk down the forested trails, the freshness of cool, invigorating air, a light breeze, and the leaves dancing in the sun’s rays.

Put on your hiking boots, grab a light jacket, and don’t forget your phone (for photos only). Throw in a pair of binoculars and maybe an apple, and let the beauty, strength, and delicateness of nature relax and refresh you.

Links:

• Blackhawk State Historic Site  
• Devils Glen Park
• Scott County Park
• Loud Thunder Forest Preserve
• Pikes Peak State Park
• Effigy Mounds National Monument
• Illiniwek Forest Preserve

Check out Teri and Kaia’s pictures from their most recent adventure …

It’s easy to celebrate our glorious fall with so many parks and recreational areas within a few miles or a day’s drive of the Quad Cities.

LMQC outdoor bloggers Teri Stickler and her faithful (and fuzzy) companion, Kaia.

To celebrate, Kaia and I have compiled our favorite leaf-peeping suggestions for fall adventures, both close to home and just north of the Quad Cities.

Our favorite parks for fall colors (near and far)

Within our metro area, perennial favorites include Blackhawk State Historic Site, Rock Island, Devil’s Glen Park, Bettendorf, Scott County Park, Scott County, Iowa, and Loud Thunder Forest Preserve, Rock Island County. Another great park is Illiniwek Forest Preserve, Hampton, Illinois.

I would suggest visiting places that have a diversity of deciduous trees: Oak, Maple, Hickory, and even some sumac will augment the color spectrum.

If you have the time and want to enjoy a little drive upriver, our favorite fall palette is in the McGregor/Marquette, Iowa, area, just across the river from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Just driving into town will have you “oohing and ahhing” at the gorgeous bluffs and hillsides.

Besides the two cities, other parks nearby are Effigy Mounds National Monument and Pikes Peak State Park. Both are quite exceptional.

The science behind fall colors

No fall is ever the same, so when we venture out for leaf peeping, we try to head to different parks every year.

Leaf color changes are most influenced by the increasing length of night as fall arrives. The nights become longer and cooler, and biochemical changes take place in the leaves. Then, depending on three specific pigments, Carotenoids, Anthocyanin, and Chlorophyll, various tree species reveal specific, otherwise hidden colors.

Oaks show red, brown, and russet; Hickories, a golden bronze; Maples can be anything from scarlet red to orange-red or even brilliant yellow.

The combination of sunny, warm days combined with cool, crisp nights (no freezing, though,) brings these wonderful colors. Of course, soil moisture also affects color.

Kaia’s attempt at hiding among the pumpkins was not all that successful..

As to this fall, and because summer droughts delay the coming of fall color by a few weeks, this scenario might have been true for this year.

A car ride past harvested fields is always a real Grant Wood experience!

Roadside markets filled with all the colors of pumpkins, gourds, bittersweet apples, and plaid shirts. A drive up a winding road to Pikes Peak Park presents its fabulous birds-eye view of the river valley. A walk down the forested trails, the freshness of cool, invigorating air, a light breeze, and the leaves dancing in the sun’s rays.

Put on your hiking boots, grab a light jacket, and don’t forget your phone (for photos only). Throw in a pair of binoculars and maybe an apple, and let the beauty, strength, and delicateness of nature relax and refresh you.

Links:

• Blackhawk State Historic Site  
• Devils Glen Park
• Scott County Park
• Loud Thunder Forest Preserve
• Pikes Peak State Park
• Effigy Mounds National Monument
• Illiniwek Forest Preserve

Check out Teri and Kaia’s pictures from their most recent adventure …