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Fall colors at the Crater of Diamonds By Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! With the arrival of autumn, temperatures have cooled and the green leaves of summer are turning a vivid array of reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. This is a great time of year for sightseeing, as well as searching for diamonds as we host many visitors passing through Arkansas, following the colors of fall southward. We owe our thanks for the season’s bright colors to the processes which give life to trees. Leaves appear green during the summer due to chlorophyll, a pigment which absorbs light energy to create food from water and carbon dioxide in a process called photosynthesis. In addition to chlorophyll, deciduous leaves also contain a pigment called carotenoid. As the days become shorter and the weather cools, photosynthesis halts in deciduous trees. As this happens, the predominant green chlorophyll breaks down, leaving red, orange, and yellow carotenoids exposed. Other hues occur later in fall, when sugars are trapped in leaves after photosynthesis stops. Cool weather and sunlight turns these leaves shades of bright red and violet, depending on the temperature and amount of sunlight received. Some leaves also turn brown, due to wastes left in the leaves. Several factors combine to give us vivid fall colors that a photo can rarely capture. The best way to experience them is to simply step outside! Search area last plowed: September 24, 2010 Most recent significant rain: September 15, 2010 Diamond finds for October 3 - 9, 2010 (100 points = 1carat): October 3 - Kenny & Melissa Oliver, Rosston, AR, 10 pt. brown; Elizabeth McGonigle, Glen Rock, PA, 7 pt. white October 5 - Tom Suboski, Stephenson, MI, 3 pt. white; Pat Yacso, Parrish, FL, 20 pt. yellow October 6 - Glenda Moore, Scottsboro, AR, 9 pt. white; David Bright, Kansas City, MO, 2 pt. white; Tom Suboski, Stephenson, MI, 1.00 ct. white October 7 - Kenneth Shoemaker, Murfreesboro, AR, 1 pt. white, 2 pt. white, 4 pt. white |
209 State Park Road
Murfreesboro, AR 71958
Email: craterofdiamonds@arkansas.com
Phone: (870) 285-3113
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