Fall: leaves, seeds and migration

Autumn color reflects plant physiology. University of Utah scientist Eleinis Ávila-Lovera explains that shortening daylight starts the process and that deciduous trees shed leaves in a controlled way that conserves resources before winter. A golden hillside is therefore an opportunity to explain a plant's seasonal strategy, not just to list a scenic drive.

The Bear River refuge's general account has tundra swans arriving from mid-October and staying through December. The tundra swan, quaking aspen, bigtooth maple and Gambel oak profiles are the natural companions to a fall outing. Weather, road closures and current foliage reports change week to week, so check them separately, and treat any peak-color window as a pattern, not a forecast.