Well, nothing lasts forever, and that includes fall leaf colors. If they did, we’d get so used to them that they would cease to be a source of wonderment and beauty. So, take heart that at least in the High Country, we have had a great fall color season, and we are already looking forward to next spring when the leaves come out, hoping that the fall of 2012 is even better than this year!
That all being said don’t get the idea that there are no colors to be seen! Our fearless fall color prognosticators have been hard at work viewing the colors for you, and there is still some to be found, albeit at much lower elevations now. Jim Renfro, from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, says there is still very good color below 3,000’ in the Park, so if you hoof it over there, you can see some great foliage displays. They did have snow high up in the peaks last week, but the trees down lower are still showing nicely.
Just down the road, Beverly Collins says that the colors have been coming in waves around the Franklin area, with no well-defined peak. Most of the early turners, including some maples, dogwood, sourwood and tulip poplar, have lost most of their leaves now. The oaks are peaking though, so you get that rust-red color standing out amongst the other barren trees, which is quite striking when the light hits the trees. We even have a good number of oaks still showing in the Boone/Blowing Rock area, although the majority of the trees are now leafless. However, leaf fall is progressing quickly, so the leaves may not last the full week.
Down around the Cullowhee/Sylva area, Kathy Mathews and Jim Costa report there are beautiful oranges, copper-reds and rust-reds, mainly due to the various oak species, such as red, black, and scarlet, but also because of the remaining sourwoods, red maples and some yellow hickories. Cashiers and Highlands, though, have passed their peak, and many trees are now leafless. The oak species tend to hold on to their leaves for relatively long time, so their colors, highlighted against the remaining yellow maples and birches, make for a nice contrast on the landscape. Japanese red maples are displaying vibrant red colors now and the Bradford pears are just starting to turn (both of these are ornamentals, so don’t look for them in the woods). Bradford pears are about the last of the trees to turn colors (a deep red) and often highlight parking lots and downtown streets with their color throughout the month of November.
Jonathan Horton says that there are still great colors in the city of Asheville and just along the Parkway before it goes up high in elevation. However, he reports that the leaves are falling fast, so there is no guarantee they will be around the entire week.
For your best viewing now, you should concentrate in the foothills around places like Wilkesboro, Lenoir, Hickory, Morganton, and Hendersonville, perhaps down to Murphy, for good color. And also try the state parks located along this band, where the colors should be peaking this week.
As always, you can see my comments and photos on my fall color facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fall-Color-Guy/222437294470967) and on my own fall color page (http://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors). Happy Foliage Viewing!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Reply to Andrew
Andrew - It's wet and cold here today, but supposed to start clearing up and becoming sunny Sat afternoon. Sunday should be nice. Most of the leaves are gone up here - just a few trees still showing (isolated red maples, some pin and scarlet oaks - red, and Bradford pears, which are starting to turn maroon). Lower down, there is more color. So, if you can stay over, or come up later on Sat, you should have a good time in the mountains.
Reply to Anonymous
Most of the color in the High Country has left the scene. At the date you want to travel (first week of Nov), most of the color will be lower down, below 2,500', or in northern Georgia. You could travel along the foothills where the color should still be good. It's supposed to be a mix of rain and snow in the High Country today, so that will take out more leaves. But below 2,500', the colors should still be around. Have a good trip.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Reply to Andrew
That is quite a round-about trip. There is good color around Wilkesboro now, and as you come up the mountain to Blowing Rock, you'll go through the band of peak color. Once in Blowing Rock, there is some residual colors left (mostly dark bronze, red from the oaks, and a few yellow poplars) but most of the other trees have dropped their leaves. I've heard that colors are better north of 421, into Virginia (lower elevations). So, I think you'll see patches of color, but if you stop at the overlooks on the Parkway, and look down, you should see nice colors at the lower elevations. Have a great trip!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Reply to Susan
Susan - I just came from Highlands this past weekend. Colors were good in the valleys and lower areas, and even in Highlands, although just starting to get past peak. However, it's supposed to get cold and rainy (even snowy!) starting Thursday/Friday, so that could take down a lot of leaves by the weekend. Northern Georgia is peaking now, including Brasstown Bald, which is just below Highlands (it has a 360 degree view from a platform built by the US Forest Service). Jocasse Gorges State Park would probably have good color, and the entrance is just east of Cashiers off of Highway 64.
Good places to view foliage: Sunset Rocks in Highland; Satulah Mt in Highlands. Whiteface Mt just east of Highlands (you can drive most of the way there). Brasstown Bald in northern Georgia; Gorges State Park.
Enjoy!
Good places to view foliage: Sunset Rocks in Highland; Satulah Mt in Highlands. Whiteface Mt just east of Highlands (you can drive most of the way there). Brasstown Bald in northern Georgia; Gorges State Park.
Enjoy!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Go North!
I suspect that you could find really good color by getting on the Parkway at US 421 just after crossing into Watauga County, and going north into Virginia. My mother says that colors are peaking up in Maryland, where the mountains are much lower in elevation. Even though they are far north, the colors are delayed due to the lower elevation. So, if you're thinking of coming up for fall colors now, you might want to consider going north on up to Roanoke and even up to Shenandoah National Park on Skyline Drive (even if that is not in NC!). Enjoy!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Fall Color Report for October 22, 2011
I’ve just come back from a weekend trip down to the Highlands Biological Station in Highlands, NC where I, along with several others (Kathy Mathews from WCU, Robert Warren from Yale School of Forestry (where I received my Masters), Jim Costa (Director of the Lab) held a workshop on the environment for secondary school teachers. Among the things we discussed were climate change and fall color displays! Thanks to Dana Haine from UNC-Chapel Hill for organizing this and thanks also to the teachers, who took time from their busy schedules to come all the way out to the Lab to learn about climate change and plants. And thanks also to NASA for providing the funding that made this workshop possible.
Well, there are still great colors in the Highlands/Cashiers area. You can view them by hiking out on Sunset Rock in Highlands or taking the short hike to the summit of Satulah Mt (also in Highlands). The colors are shifting from bright yellows, oranges and reds, to more yellows and browns highlighted by the oaks and sourwoods. The oaks tend to have much darker, deeper reds, or light brown colors, which gives the landscape a burnished look.
In addition to the yellow maples, there are witch hazels with yellow leaves (and yellow flowers), huckleberries with deep red leaves, and magnolias with their unusually large leaves that briefly turn yellow/green before shifting over to a nice chocolate brown. Your best colors are going to be in valleys and protected areas because high winds took out many of the leaves on the more exposed trees on high ridges.
Good color can be viewed on Highway 64 between Highlands and Cashiers. Just east of Cashiers is the turn off for Gorges State Park and the leaf display should be quite nice there this coming week. Continuing east, the colors fade out after Lake Toxaway and are not that spectacular in the Brevard area, although if you go into the Pisgah Forest adjacent to Brevard, the colors pick up again. Prior to arriving in Brevard, you can take a drive and see good colors off of Highway 64 by taking either 215 or 107 north to Cullowhee or Canton. Once you get to Asheville, that’s where the fall colors are really at their peak. They should last through the week and into next weekend, but be advised that this was the peak weekend for the city. If you take the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville, the colors are nice until you get above 3,000’, at which point, most of the trees are bare, although the bright red fruits of the Mountain ash trees are truly spectacular. Although the leaves are gone at Craggy Gardens the views downslope are nice and if you continue into the Asheville Watershed, there are pockets of bright color to be seen in the valleys and on the slopes. Again, the best viewing times are either early or late in the day when the sun is low on the horizon, which accents the colors.
Leaf color picks up again on the Parkway just north of Little Switzerland up to the Chestoa Overlook area, at which point they fade again. The Boone/Blowing Rock area has passed the peak and now the best colors can be seen downslope in the Wilson Creek drainage and toward Wilkesboro and Morganton. So, for those of you heading out this week or this coming weekend, you can still find some color, particularly with the oaks, but it looks like we’re done for most of the higher elevations.
As always, you can see my comments and photos on my fall color facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fall-Color-Guy/222437294470967) and on my own fall color page (http://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors). Happy Foliage Viewing!
Well, there are still great colors in the Highlands/Cashiers area. You can view them by hiking out on Sunset Rock in Highlands or taking the short hike to the summit of Satulah Mt (also in Highlands). The colors are shifting from bright yellows, oranges and reds, to more yellows and browns highlighted by the oaks and sourwoods. The oaks tend to have much darker, deeper reds, or light brown colors, which gives the landscape a burnished look.
In addition to the yellow maples, there are witch hazels with yellow leaves (and yellow flowers), huckleberries with deep red leaves, and magnolias with their unusually large leaves that briefly turn yellow/green before shifting over to a nice chocolate brown. Your best colors are going to be in valleys and protected areas because high winds took out many of the leaves on the more exposed trees on high ridges.
Good color can be viewed on Highway 64 between Highlands and Cashiers. Just east of Cashiers is the turn off for Gorges State Park and the leaf display should be quite nice there this coming week. Continuing east, the colors fade out after Lake Toxaway and are not that spectacular in the Brevard area, although if you go into the Pisgah Forest adjacent to Brevard, the colors pick up again. Prior to arriving in Brevard, you can take a drive and see good colors off of Highway 64 by taking either 215 or 107 north to Cullowhee or Canton. Once you get to Asheville, that’s where the fall colors are really at their peak. They should last through the week and into next weekend, but be advised that this was the peak weekend for the city. If you take the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville, the colors are nice until you get above 3,000’, at which point, most of the trees are bare, although the bright red fruits of the Mountain ash trees are truly spectacular. Although the leaves are gone at Craggy Gardens the views downslope are nice and if you continue into the Asheville Watershed, there are pockets of bright color to be seen in the valleys and on the slopes. Again, the best viewing times are either early or late in the day when the sun is low on the horizon, which accents the colors.
Leaf color picks up again on the Parkway just north of Little Switzerland up to the Chestoa Overlook area, at which point they fade again. The Boone/Blowing Rock area has passed the peak and now the best colors can be seen downslope in the Wilson Creek drainage and toward Wilkesboro and Morganton. So, for those of you heading out this week or this coming weekend, you can still find some color, particularly with the oaks, but it looks like we’re done for most of the higher elevations.
As always, you can see my comments and photos on my fall color facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fall-Color-Guy/222437294470967) and on my own fall color page (http://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors). Happy Foliage Viewing!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Fall Color Report for the Week of October 16, 2011
Some of you may have seen my facebook post a few days ago mentioning the 90 mph wind gusts on top of Grandfather Mt. Well, it was pretty windy all over the High Country this past week, and that did knock down a lot of leaves. Here in the Boone/Grandfather area, most of the leaves on exposed slopes have now come down, with only the isolated protected valleys, like Valle Crucis, still showing good color. The oaks, though, are turning their deep rust reds, which are providing some accent against the yellow tulip poplars in Watauga County.
Elk Knob, which I hiked on Sunday, is mostly bare at the top, with the valleys showing color off in the distance. Along the trail, though, are abundant yellow/brown beech leaves that add a pleasing yellow hue to the otherwise barren treescape. The views from this Park are stunning: I saw Mt. Mitchell, Grandfather, and other peaks from the top. Along the Parkway, the best foliage color is in the forests below the roadway. Good views can be found off to the east from the Grandfather area, e.g. the Wilson Creek drainage. Jesse Pope, from Grandfather Mt, reports that between Highway 421 and Grandfather, there are still great views of fall color from the frequent overlooks.
Susan Sachs, from Great Smoky Mountains National Park reports that leaves have peaked between 4,000’ and 5,000’, and the winds have taken down many leaves from those high elevations. However, the views of the colors at lower elevations are still very good, so driving the Parkway from Maggie Valley into the Smokies should provide good views of the leaves. Kathy Mathews reports the loss of many leaves in and around Cullowhee/Sylva due to wind, but the trees still haven’t peaked in that area, and more and more pockets of colorful leaves are showing up each day.
Farther over in the Cashiers/Highlands area, Jim Costa says the colors are “stunningly beautiful” right now. The maples, especially red maple, are a vibrant red, and have never been as colorful as this year! They are highlighted by bright yellow buckeyes, birches, multi-colored sassafras, while sourwoods and sumacs accentuate those hues with their deep reds. Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is providing vivid red accents in peoples’ yards and along roads. The oaks, one of the set of later turning trees, are now adding deep burgundy, orange/reds, and browns. This will be the peak week there and the coming weekend should be excellent if you’re in these parts of the North Carolina Mountains.
So, folks, we’re getting to the latter half of the fall foliage season in the mountains. Colors are progressing downslope, heading towards Wilkesboro, Morganton, Hendersonville and Brevard, Franklin, and Murphy. So if you’re planning drives in the next two weeks to see the colors, be aware that you’ll be seeing them from the overlooks of the Parkway, but not on the Parkway itself. There is still plenty of color out there, so come on up! As always, you can see my comments and photos on my fall color facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fall-Color-Guy/222437294470967) and on my own fall color page (http://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors). Happy Foliage Viewing!
Elk Knob, which I hiked on Sunday, is mostly bare at the top, with the valleys showing color off in the distance. Along the trail, though, are abundant yellow/brown beech leaves that add a pleasing yellow hue to the otherwise barren treescape. The views from this Park are stunning: I saw Mt. Mitchell, Grandfather, and other peaks from the top. Along the Parkway, the best foliage color is in the forests below the roadway. Good views can be found off to the east from the Grandfather area, e.g. the Wilson Creek drainage. Jesse Pope, from Grandfather Mt, reports that between Highway 421 and Grandfather, there are still great views of fall color from the frequent overlooks.
Susan Sachs, from Great Smoky Mountains National Park reports that leaves have peaked between 4,000’ and 5,000’, and the winds have taken down many leaves from those high elevations. However, the views of the colors at lower elevations are still very good, so driving the Parkway from Maggie Valley into the Smokies should provide good views of the leaves. Kathy Mathews reports the loss of many leaves in and around Cullowhee/Sylva due to wind, but the trees still haven’t peaked in that area, and more and more pockets of colorful leaves are showing up each day.
Farther over in the Cashiers/Highlands area, Jim Costa says the colors are “stunningly beautiful” right now. The maples, especially red maple, are a vibrant red, and have never been as colorful as this year! They are highlighted by bright yellow buckeyes, birches, multi-colored sassafras, while sourwoods and sumacs accentuate those hues with their deep reds. Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is providing vivid red accents in peoples’ yards and along roads. The oaks, one of the set of later turning trees, are now adding deep burgundy, orange/reds, and browns. This will be the peak week there and the coming weekend should be excellent if you’re in these parts of the North Carolina Mountains.
So, folks, we’re getting to the latter half of the fall foliage season in the mountains. Colors are progressing downslope, heading towards Wilkesboro, Morganton, Hendersonville and Brevard, Franklin, and Murphy. So if you’re planning drives in the next two weeks to see the colors, be aware that you’ll be seeing them from the overlooks of the Parkway, but not on the Parkway itself. There is still plenty of color out there, so come on up! As always, you can see my comments and photos on my fall color facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fall-Color-Guy/222437294470967) and on my own fall color page (http://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors). Happy Foliage Viewing!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Fall Color Report for the Week of October 9, 2011
Foliage color peaked this past weekend for the Grandfather to Boone/Blowing Rock area of the North Carolina Mountains for areas above 3,000’ in elevation. Above 4,500’, colors have actually passed their peak. However, don’t despair if you haven’t yet made it to the mountains. There is still plenty of color throughout the mountains which should persist through next weekend. In fact, some areas haven’t yet peaked, and this coming weekend should be their time to show off. This year has been a real guessing game with respect to how brilliant and intense the colors will be, but based on the drive I took on Saturday, I’d say this year’s colors rank 9 on a scale of 10, where 10 is the best it can be. So, if you want to see some great fall foliage, this is the year to do it!
Colors are still peaking in some areas below 4,000’, especially south of Grandfather Mountain in the Linville to Little Switzerland area on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I believe those areas will show their best color this coming weekend, assuming the oncoming rains, which will be here Tuesday through Thursday, don’t knock a lot of leaves down (and I don’t think they will, since there is no forecast for high winds). Jesse Pope reports that views from Grandfather off to the south and east are spectacular. Crowds were so high at the Park on Saturday that traffic was backed up on U.S. 221. If you want to avoid those crowds, come up during the week, or, early in day. Mornings and evenings are great times to view the fall foliage and take pictures because colors appear more intense when the sun is low on the horizon.
Jonathan Horton reports colors are still building up in the city of Asheville (mainly dogwoods, Virginia creeper, sourwoods and maples), but up on the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Pisgah, there is much more color, including a lot of trees that turn yellow (magnolias, birches, hickories, striped maple). The sourwoods are at their showiest right now as are the maples and dogwoods, and that pertains all up and down the Parkway. This year there are plenty of bright reds mixed in with the yellows and oranges, making for a very vibrant color scene. Leaves on the Parkway around Asheville should peak this coming weekend.
Jim Costa reports that the colors in Highlands are spectacular - still a fair bit of green, but healthy doses of bright oranges, reds, and yellows mixed in. Birches, red maples, dogwoods, buckeyes, and sassafras are all lovely! Virginia Creepers are highlighting bare rock faces and numerous tree trunks with their deep red leaves. Jim thinks colors will persist near their peak right through this coming weekend. Lower down, around Cullowhee, Kathy Mathews reports that colors are still moving toward their peak. Down by Franklin, Beverly Collins notes that the hills are still mostly green, but are turning color rapidly, especially high up. However, oaks and many hickories aren't turning much yet, which means most hillslopes are still mostly green with some spots and strips of color.
For some drives and hikes, I suggest U.S. 221 to Mt. Jefferson State Natural Area in Ashe County. You can drive to the top and there are some nice short hikes with good views. Around Highlands there are a number of hikes to take, including one to Satulah Mountain. Highway 64 from Highlands to Franklin offers great color along the twenty-some mile drive. This is also North Carolina apple season, and the mountains, which produce 90% of North Carolina’s apples, have plenty of roadside stands selling juice, cider, apples of course, as well as my favorite, apple butter. As always, you can see my comments and photos on my fall color facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fall-Color-Guy/222437294470967) and on my own fall color page (http://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors). Happy Foliage Viewing!
Colors are still peaking in some areas below 4,000’, especially south of Grandfather Mountain in the Linville to Little Switzerland area on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I believe those areas will show their best color this coming weekend, assuming the oncoming rains, which will be here Tuesday through Thursday, don’t knock a lot of leaves down (and I don’t think they will, since there is no forecast for high winds). Jesse Pope reports that views from Grandfather off to the south and east are spectacular. Crowds were so high at the Park on Saturday that traffic was backed up on U.S. 221. If you want to avoid those crowds, come up during the week, or, early in day. Mornings and evenings are great times to view the fall foliage and take pictures because colors appear more intense when the sun is low on the horizon.
Jonathan Horton reports colors are still building up in the city of Asheville (mainly dogwoods, Virginia creeper, sourwoods and maples), but up on the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Pisgah, there is much more color, including a lot of trees that turn yellow (magnolias, birches, hickories, striped maple). The sourwoods are at their showiest right now as are the maples and dogwoods, and that pertains all up and down the Parkway. This year there are plenty of bright reds mixed in with the yellows and oranges, making for a very vibrant color scene. Leaves on the Parkway around Asheville should peak this coming weekend.
Jim Costa reports that the colors in Highlands are spectacular - still a fair bit of green, but healthy doses of bright oranges, reds, and yellows mixed in. Birches, red maples, dogwoods, buckeyes, and sassafras are all lovely! Virginia Creepers are highlighting bare rock faces and numerous tree trunks with their deep red leaves. Jim thinks colors will persist near their peak right through this coming weekend. Lower down, around Cullowhee, Kathy Mathews reports that colors are still moving toward their peak. Down by Franklin, Beverly Collins notes that the hills are still mostly green, but are turning color rapidly, especially high up. However, oaks and many hickories aren't turning much yet, which means most hillslopes are still mostly green with some spots and strips of color.
For some drives and hikes, I suggest U.S. 221 to Mt. Jefferson State Natural Area in Ashe County. You can drive to the top and there are some nice short hikes with good views. Around Highlands there are a number of hikes to take, including one to Satulah Mountain. Highway 64 from Highlands to Franklin offers great color along the twenty-some mile drive. This is also North Carolina apple season, and the mountains, which produce 90% of North Carolina’s apples, have plenty of roadside stands selling juice, cider, apples of course, as well as my favorite, apple butter. As always, you can see my comments and photos on my fall color facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fall-Color-Guy/222437294470967) and on my own fall color page (http://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors). Happy Foliage Viewing!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
U.S. Forest Service Fall Color Site
The U.S. Forest Service has a nice link to explain fall foliage colors, plus maps of where colors are peaking all around the country. The link on my fall color page doesn't work, because the USFS changed the URL. The working link is given here: http://www.fs.fed.us/fallcolors/
This is a great website, so make use of it if you're planning a trip somewhere outside NC (but then, why would you?).
Also, here is a link to a story on how climate change may affect fall colors. Note that I published a science essay on this very topic a while back, and you can read my essay by going to related links on my fall color page. Here is the link to that AP story:http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LATER_FALL_COLORS?SITE=NCWIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Enjoy!
This is a great website, so make use of it if you're planning a trip somewhere outside NC (but then, why would you?).
Also, here is a link to a story on how climate change may affect fall colors. Note that I published a science essay on this very topic a while back, and you can read my essay by going to related links on my fall color page. Here is the link to that AP story:http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LATER_FALL_COLORS?SITE=NCWIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Enjoy!
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