Minutes from the doorsteps of Breckenridge real estate are fabulous spots to view the kaleidoscope of brilliant autumn leaves. In fact, thanks to the gold prospectors over a hundred years ago, tourists from the Front Range cities also come up to Summit County for Sunday leisure drives over Boreas Pass. Just one more reason to choose Breckenridge CO real estate for an easily accessible vacation home with refreshing family activities throughout every season.
The Boreas Pass Road just south of Breckenridge CO homes peaks at 12,000 feet with panoramic views of the Continental Divide and Blue River Valley and large stands of golden quivering aspen from early September to early October. Evergreens contrast with the vibrant tones of ruby, oranges, yellows, and browns, the endless fusion of color is short lived.
Falling leaves, pristine forests, and splendid mountain peaks are why so many inquire about real estate in the historic and Victorian Town of Breckenridge. Her unique museums, old dredge boats, gold mines, and many a tall Western tale offer a sense of continuity, small-town community, and a colorful international flair.
Why do the leaves change color? Maybe Jack Frost did inspire the chemical processes. Longer and warmer spring and summer days produce the pigment chlorophyll as well as yellow and orange carotenoids. In the autumn, the shorter and cooler days stop the production of the green chlorophyll that feeds the leaves. Then the carotenoids slowly begin to do their dance and other chemical changes may occur, causing the formation of additional pigments that vary from yellow to red to blue. That’s when the reddish and purplish fall colors get sprinkled in.
Much of our autumn foliage is quaking aspen that turns golden. Oaks turn from greens to browns; beech turns golden bronze, dogwood and sumac purples.
The degree of color may vary from tree to tree. For example, a part of the tree that is directly exposed to the sun may turn red and leaves on the same tree with less exposure may turn yellow. An unhealthy tree may never show bright colors. Weather conditions also affect the year’s display. The most vivid colors appear after a warm dry summer and early autumn rains that prevent early leaf fall. Long periods of wet weather in the fall produce drab coloration while droughts favor the production of anthocyanin and red pigment due to the reduction of nitrate absorption.
What cannot be seen is the production of a special layer of cells at the base of the leafstalk where it is attached to the twig. These cells gradually sever the tissues that support the leaf, allowing the twig to heal after each leaf falls. The bed of fallen leaves provides water-absorbing humus as the potassium- and calcium-rich forest floor once again dissolves to feed the forest ecosystem.
Contact Jonna Beardsley at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970 for friendly professional real-estate assistance.
