Post date: 10/04/2021
I went out before the rains moved in today and went north onto the Blue Ridge Parkway from US 421. It was hazy out, but on occasion, the sun broke through and there was some color to see in places, but for the most part, the dominant color is still green in this area. The BRP in this region ranges mostly between 3,100’ to 3,500’ in elevation, and at these elevations, colors are just starting.If you go south on the BRP toward Linville and Grandfather Mountain, colors are somewhat further along at the higher elevations, especially in the Rough Ridge area and the east flank of Grandfather. Same...
Post date: 10/01/2021
I wanted to check out how rapidly the fall colors were developing, especially at the higher elevations, and was told by personnel on Grandfather that they were coming on strong now. So, early this morning I headed up to the mountain and took some pictures, which are in this posting.As you can see, there is some good color developing now at the higher elevations on Grandfather, but also on the lower slopes closer to the Parkway and Beacon Heights. The red maples are providing splashes of bright red color, while birches and other species are turning yellow.This weekend would be worth a trip,...
Post date: 09/27/2021
Since fall leaf color starts first at the higher elevations and then works its way downslope about 1000’ every 7-10 days, I decided to hike to the top of Elk Knob State Park, which is about 10 miles north of Boone with a summit at around 5,500’. I highly recommend this hike – 2 miles on switchbacks to the top, with an easy grade all the way up. At the summit, there are two overlooks, one facing south where you can see Grandfather Mt. as well as Mt. Mitchell and Roan Mt. The other overlook faces north into Ashe County and you can get great views of color from that overlook, as well being able...
Post date: 09/22/2021
The word is: green! Nearly all of the western mountains are still quite green. There is a hint of color on the way, with red and sugar maples starting to show some color on isolated branches and branch tips. Dogwoods have been turning red since mid-August, and sourwoods are coloring up now. Pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) leaves are turning a deep orange-red and dropping early now. This week I ventured up Grandfather Mountain just south of Boone and Blowing Rock. This isolated mountain in the Blue Ridge is the highest in the area, with Mt. Mitchell, about 60 miles south, the highest peak in...
Post date: 09/02/2021
We are now about six weeks away from what should be peak fall color along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, at elevations between 3,000-4,500’. Right now, the forests are mostly still green, although after my excursion today on the Parkway, I did see scattered instances of trees starting to turn color. These trees seem ahead of schedule compared to past years, but I don’t think fall color will be unusually early this year. I drove the BRP between Blowing Rock and the Linn Cove Viaduct today. This section is one of the most popular parts of the Parkway, so when...
Post date: 08/13/2021
This is the first of my fall color reports for 2021. Of course, starting off in August there isn’t a lot of color development yet, but there are some isolated cases among urban trees, which always begin changing color before trees in the woods. In particular, urban red maples, dogwoods and sourwoods, as well as some stressed sugar maples are coloring up now, but don’t panic, as the major fall color display will still occur in mid-October. My graduate student, Claire Martin, is studying how urban red maples, including the Armstrong and Autumn Blaze cultivars, develop their fall colors,...
Post date: 10/26/2020
Yesterday I traveled north up the Blue Ridge Parkway from US 421 in Watauga County, going through Ashe County before ending up in Alleghany County. This section of the Parkway, while popular, is less traveled than the congested section between Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain. At 8:30 am, I was about the only person on the road, and it seemed I had the entire Parkway to myself. In addition, with the sun at a relatively low angle, I was able to take some photographs with great color saturation. A polarizing filter helps to bring out the colors, so if you have a camera, I’d invest in one...
Post date: 10/19/2020
This week I took the road west and headed on up to Roan Mountain on the border of NC and TN. Here, you can get on the Appalachian Trail and see some of the most majestic peaks in the southern Appalachians. This is a popular hiking and camping location and you will meet lots of people hiking both north and south on the trail. When you get to the top, at Carver’s Gap, the elevation is 5,512’, with peaks on either side going up another 300-500’, with the summit of Roan Mt at 6,285’. This place can get crowded, making it hard to find a parking place, but if you get there early, no problem. I...
Post date: 10/13/2020
I went out on the Blue Ridge Parkway today to see how the leaves survived the storms that rolled in on Friday and stayed until Monday. Luckily, for us, the rains were fairly gentle and there was no wind to speak of, so while a goodly number of leaves did fall off over the weekend, most remained on the trees. Which means that they are there and showing off some great colors now! Today was a spectacular leaf looking day – skies were clear blue beginning late morning and the leaf colors were bright and varied.Today in my opinion was peak color day on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Boone Fork, south...
Post date: 10/13/2020
Colors are peaking now along the Blue Ridge Parkway at elevations 4,000’ and above, but the remnants of Hurricane Delta also are moving into the region. Today we had steady, but gentle rains, with no appreciable wind, but it still took down some leaves. However, earlier in the day, the views were very good and lot of people were out leaf looking. Colors were near peak and it was quite spectacular compared to years past! Had it not rained, this would have been one of the two best weekends this season to view the leaves. I did get out early this morning when the rain was lighter and took the...