STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Glorious.

What more can you say about this weekend, what  with temperatures in the mid-60s and orange and red leaves fluttering against a cloudless blue sky?!

Leaves have been a-changing as the amount of light available diminishes. And, no, not even the nearly full moon this weekend nor the Orionids meteor shower last night and tonight can make up for the fact that the sun is going behind the mountain sooner each day.

As the days shorten, the trees have stopped producing chlorophyll, exposing yellow and orange pigments.

And, in some cases, the veins connecting the leaves to trees have begun to close. And that traps  sugar in leaves to create brilliant red, according to Kristin Fletcher, educational director for the Sawtooth Botanical Gardens.

Right now the valley floor is ground zero for color. And, in case the sight of a pigskin hurtling across the TV screen kept you inside this weekend, these pictures are evidence of what you might have missed.