Temperatures are on the decline around the state, and that causes some changes in the wildlife and plantlife.

Guthrie County Conservation Director Brad Halterman says that the cooler weather causes animals to change their habits and habitats, along with causing some changes to the appearance of many plants.

“One of the many things, and one of the things that happens that contributes to being my favorite time of the year, is leaf color on the trees. And we’ve got some color on trees right now. And both at Nation’s Bridge and Lennon Mills, being parks down in river valleys, you’ve got a lot of trees, a lot of timber around those areas, so the drive into those areas and those areas can be absolutely beautiful in the fall, with the leaves changing, and enough diversity of trees where you’ve got a really good amount of different colors out there, from yellows, to golds, to reds, to pinks to light greens.”

Halterman explains that there are many individuals who travel through the parks to see the changing leaves during fall. He adds that with crops coming out of the fields, animals like deer and raccoons are on the move to find new places to bed down until next year when crops are growing once again. Halterman also notes that much of the wildlife is starting to eat as much as they can, to put on fat to help them make it through the winter. He mentions that one of the easiest examples to see of this, is the squirrels in the parks stashing walnuts for the colder months.