Early snow mutes fall color

A snowy week in mid-October falls low on a list of strange things to happen in 2020. Nonetheless, there it was last weekend and in two spurts this week, snow squalls leaving a world of white two weeks before Halloween. Right: Reader Mark Cline found things "monochromal" Wednesday morning near a St. Louis River backwater between Scanlon and Carlton. Below and bottom: Trees collected snow at the Cloquet Forestry Center, where Pine Knot News editor Jana Peterson took a walk on Tuesday afternoon. Below, middle: Trees along North Cloquet Road near Esko were also flocked with snow Wednesday morning, as observed by Pine Knot News writer Mike Creger.