A river cloaked in gold welcomes visitors by Teresa Crawford, Outpost staff Autumn leaves, the other gold of northern Nevada, are worth little to the local economy, but everything to the soul. We mine them with our senses and marvel at the miracle with fresh eyes each fall. In this package Truckee River photo essay On the Web Why Leaves Change Color Chemistry of Autumn Colors On the last Saturday in October, strollers along the Truckee River shuffled and crunched through ankle deep golden, russet and bronze leaves, freshly fallen and still crisp. Young parents arranged their giggling infant on a leafy layette. Nearby, some men who camp by the riverside, their belongings neatly bagged beside them, basked in the few sweet hours of warmth between chilly nights. The magical colors are a byproduct of the trees' preparations to rest for winter. Decreasing hours of sunlight as the days shorten trigger fall colors, not freezing temperatures. Warm, sunny days and cool, crisp, but not freezing nights are the best weather for a vivid display. The river's music mutes city sounds east of the Kirman-Sutro bridge. Photo by Teresa Crawford The glamorous golden pigments of fall, cartenoids, help the green pigment, chlorophyll, transform sunlight to energy. Green leaves make their sugary nourishment for the summer growing season by transforming carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbohydrates. They make all the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. As the days shorten, the leaves' energy factories shut down, chlorophyll production halts and the yellow pigment, carotene, is revealed. Maples and many eastern hardwoods have anthocyanins, which color red and purple fruits. Red shaded leaves are less common in northern Nevada than the hardwood forests in New England and the Applacian mountains which display a spectacular palette of purple, pink, red and lavender. Posted Nov. 3, 1998 Copyright 1998 Nevada Outpost TOP Nevada Outpost is produced by students at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost