Photos: What makes those yellow, orange and red fall colors?

It’s not just your imagination. The fall colors are particularly beautiful this year.

What goes into making a vibrant display of yellow, orange and red?

Good rainfall over the summer is important to growing big, strong leaves, Morton Arboretum spokesman Tyler Prich said. But you don’t want storms that will knock down all the leaves.

The region saw a “minor pseudo drought” heading into the fall, but it wasn’t enough to stress the leaves too bad, Prich said.

Nice sunny weather in August and September also helps with vibrancy, he said.

So many factors can affect leaves and their overall vibrancy, Prich said, and the Morton Arboretum’s team is still trying to put all the pieces together to better predict what makes a good fall season.

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A wave a fall color outlines a pasture Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, near the intersection of Wilmot Road and Sundial Lane in Spring Grove. (Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver for Shaw Media )