INDIANAPOLIS – The bone-dry weather that most of Indiana has seen in recent weeks could also negatively affect the typically bright fall colors of the state’s woodlands.

Nature experts say trees are switching to survival mode and might lose their leaves before they change to the familiar red, yellow or orange.

Brown County State Park naturalist Jim Eagleman tells the Indianapolis Star that trees react to drought by dropping leaves to conserve water.

The National Weather Service says Indianapolis had its driest August on record and that less than an inch of rain fell for the month throughout much of central and western Indiana.

Eagleman says he expects the forests of southern Indiana’s Brown County to have plenty of tree colors this fall despite the stressful conditions.