Natural History Wanderings

California Fall Color has its first fall color report of the season for the Shasta Cascade Region.

Some areas of this vast region of northeast California are beginning to show color, though it’s still two to three weeks from significant displays.  As in other areas of the state, red seems to be the theme of this autumn.

The Shasta Cascade includes three different ecosystems: the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada and the Coastal Range.  Each has its own dominant fall foliage.  Look for orange-red Indian Rhubarb, yellow Bigleaf Maple, yellow Aspen, orange oaks, golden cottonwood, crimson poison oak and chartreuse wild cucumber.

• 0 – 15% – Plumas County –  follow the Cascade Trail along Spanish Creek for spots of orangey-red Indian Rhubarb.  Other spotters in Plumas County predict the color will begin appearing in mid October.
• 15 – 30% – Lassen County –
• 15 – 30% – Siskiyou County – A bit of yellow is beginning to appear in this far northern California county.
• 0 – 15% – Modoc County –
• 0 – 15% – Shasta County –
• 0 – 15% – Trinity County –
• 0 – 15% – Tehama County –
• 15 – 30% – Butte County – It’s still too early to make a trip to Chico for fall color, though it is always a great place to visit.  The best color will be seen at Chico’s Bidwell Park, on the Chico State University campus, along the Highway 32 corridor, and up the Highway 99 corridor.  Chico is known as a city of trees with a spectacular mature canopy in its parks and along its boulevards.  The agricultural fields and orchards surrounding Chico have impressive displays of nut and fruit trees in mid October.

See photos and more reports at:  California Fall Color.