The Fall Colors Forecast

Last update: September 9, 2007 - 12:39 AM

So long, summer. Hello, neck-craning season. Time to tilt your heads upward to catch the rich changes in the treetops. Tinges of color are already showing in tree canopies of northern Minnesota.

In the northeast along Lake Superior, where drought has been severe, colors may come early and be spotty, said Carmen Diestler, information officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Still, flame reds and silvery yellows will engulf entire trees, as in years past, and could start their march south as early as mid-September.

"With what a glory comes and goes the year!" wrote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem "Autumn."

The websites and telephone numbers listed below provide updates on when trees will be in their full glory.

Iowa: 1-515-233-4110; www.traveliowa.com (beginning Sept. 24).

Minnesota: 1-888-868-7476; www.dnr.state.mn.us.

North Dakota: 1-800-435-5663; www.ndtourism.com (type "fall foliage" in the search box)

Ontario: 1-800-668-2746; www.ontariotravel.net.

South Dakota: 1-800-732-5682; www.travelsd.com (go to "things to do" and scroll down to find the "fall foliage" link).

Wisconsin: 1-800-432-8747; www.travelwisconsin.com.

KERRI WESTENBERG