Catch the shimmering wave of autumn color as it ripples across the state during the fall season.

As they have for the past several years, Minnesota state park staff will provide weekly updates on the progression of color in the area, beginning this week, as a public service.

The fall color reports, to be updated by noon every Thursday beginning Sept. 2, are posted on Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website at mndnr.gov. The information is also available by calling the DNR Information Center at 651-296-6157 or toll-free 888-646-6367 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The reports will include percent of color change, peak color projections, flowers and grasses in bloom and the mix of colors people can expect to see.

Online traffic to the fall colors pages has grown steadily over the past three years. The fall color pages were viewed a total of 356,227 times between Sept. 14 and Nov. 6, last year. Most online visitors went on to look at individual park pages for camping information and driving directions and another large percentage went on to look at hunting information.

Members of the media use the fall color site in their weather reports or pick up on stories related to where the best viewing will be. Others use it to make travel decisions, then upload their fall color photos to the site when they return from a trip to a Minnesota state park.