(COLORADO) — It’s been a wet year in Colorado and this may help make for a blazing color show over the next month in our state. While moisture is one of the factors regarding how bright the seasonal color change will be, according to the U.S. Forest Service, the biggest impact on dull or vivid colors comes from weather as the leaves change. Warm and dry days with cool, but not freezing nights, make for the brightest colors – and late September looks to bring exactly that.

Why do leaves change color?

Leaves have chlorophyll in them that give them green pigment during the warmer months. In the fall, when the temperatures get cooler and the sun angle changes, the tree’s chlorophyll starts to break down.

Eventually, the green color disappears and other colors become visible. The leaf color depends on the pigment present in the leaf.

Here are some of the top places to see the leaves: