The leaves of the growing season are green because of the formation of chlorophyll, a pigment found in minute leaf structures called plastids. Good colors can also be found on the bluffs along the Missouri River Trail in the central part of the state around Columbia and the Piedmont area around Ironton (Figure 1). The white limestone bluffs along the Katy Trail in central Missouri provide a striking contrast to the autumn colors of surrounding forests. Highway 100 south of the Missouri River between Hermann and Washington.Ī favorite route for fall foliage watching in eastern Missouri is Highway 79 along the Mississippi River between Winfield and Hannibal.Highway 94 north of the Missouri River between Jefferson City and Hermann,.Several central Missouri highways have reputations for being particularly beautiful autumn drives: A precise clockwork within the leaf cells sets the forests of Missouri ablaze when early fall days are bright and cool, and nights are chilly but not freezing.
The spectacular parade of colors associated with the Indian summer days of autumn is created by a complicated series of interactions involving pigments, sunlight, moisture, chemicals, hormones, temperature, length of daylight, growing location and genetic traits.
