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Mono County: Double Rainbow

Double Rainbow, Conway Summit (10/14/16) Jeff Simpson

Double Rainbow, Conway Summit (10/14/16) Jeff Simpson

Conway Summit (10/14/16) Jeff Simpson

Conway Summit (10/14/16) Jeff Simpson

Jeff Simpson drove throughout Mono County yesterday and found the colors to be “unbelievable” before the storm. This morning, he returned across the same route and was pleased to see that despite last night’s rain and wind the color, “was still there,” and he was “very surprised to see a good majority of leaves still on the trees,” despite severe wind the previous night.

Earlier this autumn, we wrote about the abcission layer which develops in autumn, preventing the leaf from being nourished. “Eventually, like scissors, the abscission cells close the connection between leaf and branch and the leaf falls,” we reported.

Conway Summit (10/14/16) Jeff Simpson

Conway Summit (10/14/16) Jeff Simpson

Wind is the biggest nemesis to autumn leaves, but if the leaves are still being nourished by the tree and the abcission layer isn’t yet fully closed, they may stay attached to branches, even though colorful and near ready to fall. That is likely what happened in this case.

The joy Jeff felt about fall still continuing in Mono County, regardless of the storm, was doubled when he spied a double rainbow arcing over Conway Summit.

Conway Summit, Mono County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!