Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan are typically among the first parts of the contiguous United States to experience autumn color. Fall 2020 was no exception.

Aided by a period of chilly weather, fall foliage was peaking in the region’s forests in late September. On September 22, 2020, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on NOAA-20 acquired this image of the area around Lake Superior, which is rich with aspen, birch, maple, basswood, and other deciduous hardwood trees.

In autumn, the leaves on deciduous trees change colors as they lose chlorophyll, the molecule that plants use to synthesize food.

Contine reading at NASA Earth Observatory

Image via NASA Earth Observatory

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