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!