As I look out the window in western Montana to a dreary afternoon, I have just realized fall is upon us. After a summer of record breaking heat, dry conditions, and smoked filled skies a change is here. I vividly recall three months ago on the first day of summer heading out early in the morning with some friends to photograph sunrise at Lee Metcalf NWR, which of course in western Montana meant an early morning. Little did we know what to expect in the weeks and months ahead as we dressed in layers on a cool morning.

Now it is a time to look forward on the beauty of fall. But the question which I have heard asked numerous times is will the above normal summer temperatures make the magic of fall different? I’m not the one to answer the question, but maybe a call to a friend who studied meteorology is in order. Either way I am doing the research now and looking for the locations which may yield a punch of color in the upcoming weeks, since sooner than it arrives the magic of fall will be gone.