Leaf Colors Starting To Change On Sioux Falls Big Sioux River

I was riding on the Sioux Falls bike trails this week. I've always enjoyed the wonderful trail system in our city. And I love the colors of fall in South Dakota.

As we are about to close out the month of September in South Dakota I had assumed there would be more vibrant colors in the trees along the Big Sioux River around Downtown Sioux Falls.

It appears I am a bit premature in my expectations. Some Maples and Dogwoods were starting to show some fall color but there weren't the vivid shades of reds, yellows, and orange that we should be enjoying soon.

According to the Farmers Almanac, we can expect peak fall leaf color around Oct. 5 - 21 in South Dakota. There are factors that can affect the vibrancy of our South Dakota fall foliage.

According to Dakota News Now Meteorologist Aaron Doudna, "there are a lot of different things that could be causing trees to not have as much color as they usually do. Drought is one of those problem factors that can cause leaves to appear yellow. And, sometimes, the trees may not be receiving enough iron, depending on soil condition.