Fall into Central

As the days grow shorter and temperature ever more bitter, we are privileged one great spectacle before our long winter season.

Leaves become a multitude of colors and leave us a breathtaking site, if only for a month or so, before that first winter snow.

“I like fall because it is the perfect weather, and I love all the colors” says Nikki Beatty, a student here at Central Michigan University.

Fall in Michigan always conjures a certain feeling. It reminds us of the start of school, football, and lets us know winter is coming. Just as we all start taking out our winter coats, our windshield scrapers, and prepare our cars for the ice and snow, the trees here too prepare for winter.

Little is known about how the trees know when winter is coming, but scientist believe it most likely has to do with the shortening of the days. They stop producing chlorophyll and prepare for the long coldness of our Michigan winters.

The trees lose their leaves because they will freeze in the winter. Nutrients that can be absorbed by the trees are, and what is left are the beautiful leaves that paint our fall skyline.

There are many ways to take pleasure in Mount Pleasants fall colors. If you enjoy hiking Mount Pleasant is home to fifteen parks. Grab a camera and a few friends and go explore. If hiking isn’t to your taste, go for a drive. Isabella County is riddled with old roads, many of them through scenic woodlands.

But, the easiest way to appreciate falls beauty is to simply pay attention. You are in its presence every day. Leave early for class and walk slowly. Campus looks amazing in fall, and it is befitting that it explodes with maroon and gold.

Take time and take notice of what’s around you, because every leaf that falls signals that we are that much closer to winter, and those walk will not be nearly as fun.

GCM video by Mike Mulholland