里奇韦附近斯内弗尔斯山脚下的秋色, 科罗拉多州, 美国 Fall colors below Mount Sneffels near Ridgway, Colorado (© Grant Ordelheide/TANDEM Stills + Motion)

里奇韦附近斯内弗尔斯山脚下的秋色, 科罗拉多州, 美国 Fall colors below Mount Sneffels near Ridgway, Colorado (© Grant Ordelheide/TANDEM Stills + Motion)

金色的秋日余晖 Golden fall glow

斯内弗尔斯山脚下的秋色, 科罗拉多州, 美国

又到了一年之中，山峦褪去夏日青翠，披上绚烂秋色的时节。变色通常始于九月初至十月初，高处山坡率先染上秋意，随后低处山谷渐次跟进。白杨树堪称这场视觉盛宴的主角，其叶片在阳光下闪烁，宛如金币般熠熠生辉。然而白杨的绚烂并非年年如约而至。它们的色彩取决于多重因素——树木健康状况、局部气候变化、土壤湿度，以及生长海拔与纬度。健康的白杨林才是真正的季节主角：枝繁叶茂的林群色彩更明亮，落叶也更晚；而受压或衰弱的树木往往迅速褪色，只留下一抹短暂的辉煌。去年令人惊艳的景致，今年或许黯淡无光。今日镜头捕捉到斯内弗尔斯山麓的绚烂盛景——这座科罗拉多州斯内弗尔斯山脉的最高峰，从里奇韦镇拔地而起，海拔拔高逾7000英尺。

Fall colors below Mount Sneffels near Ridgway, Colorado

It's that time of year when the hills shed their summer greens, unveiling a blaze of colors that lights up the season. The change usually begins in September and early October, with higher slopes turning first, followed by the lower valleys. Among the stars of this display are the aspens, whose leaves shimmer like gold coins in the sunlight. The magic of aspen colors, however, isn't guaranteed year after year. Their golden glow depends on many factors—tree health, local weather shifts, soil moisture, and where they grow in terms of elevation and latitude. Healthy aspens are the true stars of the season: strong, thriving groves burst with brighter colors and hold onto their leaves longer, while stressed or weakened trees often fade quickly, offering only a glimpse of their usual brilliance. Today's image captures their full glow at the base of Mount Sneffels, the highest peak in Colorado's Sneffels Range, rising more than 7,000 feet above the town of Ridgway.