Natural History Wanderings

Fall Color updates from Great Smoky National Park and Great Smoky Mountains Association

Fall Leaf Color Updates | Great Smoky Mountains Association reported on September 15

With sunny days and cool nights in the forecast, the march of fall colors should be picking up the pace very shortly. Reports from New England portend that the timing of this year’s colors may be normal to a tad late across the Appalachians.

Sourwood trees on the drier slopes are showing nice reds now. Witch-hobble leaves at the higher elevations are burgundy. A smattering of dogwood trees have begun the change. Blackgum trees will soon be blushing red. Fruits, such as the fuchsia seedpods of magnolia trees and oak acorns are now conspicuous.

By late September look for more color at the higher elevations as American beech and yellow birch trees transition to gold. Early changers at the lower elevations like sourwood, blackgum, dogwood, yellow buckeye, Virginia creeper, sumacs, and tuliptree should then be near peak. Parkwide, the peak of fall colors generally occurs between late October and early November.

The elk rut is now in full swing in both Cataloochee Valley and at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center area; and bears are busy gobbling acorns in Cades Cove.

Fall Colors – Great Smoky Mountains National Park U.S. National Park Service has a Fall Color mid September Report

The main fall leaf season is still more than a month away (mid to late October), but some early color is starting to develop on a few trees. Some dogwood trees have a reddish cast that will develop into brilliant reds later in October. Other species such as sourwood, red maple, witch hobble, sumac and blueberries are also beginning to sport a few red leaves, especially on trees and shrubs at higher elevation. Overall however, there’s not much fall color to see yet — just scattered trees here and there, and their colors are still just a hint of what they’ll become in a few more weeks. Fall flowers such as asters, Joe-Pye-weed, jewelweed, ironweed, and golden rod are blooming now. And the colorful fruits of hearts-a-bustin’ are splitting open.

For fall photos and updates from the park, visit our official facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainsNPS

You can also check out the park’s webcams to see how fall colors are progressing:
Purchase Knob (high elevation)
Look Rock (middle elevation)