October is the prettiest month of the year, and I’ve got pictures to prove it. Every day the leaves seemed more beautiful than the day before.

Okay, okay, the first photo is from late September, but what’s a few days in an autumn like this?

Jay Cooke State Park near Duluth:

Popple trees:

I couldn’t stop taking photos at West River Parkway in Minneapolis, with its wide variety of colors that are gorgeous even on a cloudy day:

Still a few stray asters blooming:

A neighborhood one street off the parkway:

Moving on to northwest Minnesota, past peak but still plenty of color:

From the last weekend of October, the overlook at the top of Mount Charity at Latsch State Park with a few yellows and lots of dark oak leaves:

And finally, a couple favorites from Octobers past:

Sunny yellows at Lake Maria State Park:

See more of my autumn photos at 87counties.com.