Natural History Wanderings

The  Department of Biology  Appalachian State University reports for the week of September 21

Fall officially starts on Tuesday, September 22 at 10:49 pm according to the web.  Fall leaf color though, has been going on since August, and it will pick up in pace in the next few weeks.  The forests are still mostly green, but this is the first week where you can really see color on the landscape, mainly at a few high elevation locations, such as on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain, the higher slopes outside Asheville down to Highlands, and around Mount Mitchell.

Color should pick up each week now, starting at the higher elevations, and working its way downslope.  Based on my drives around the High Country, I think we’ll be on near normal schedule for the most part.  While I thought back in early September that trees might change early, much of that feeling was based on viewing urban trees, and indeed, many of them are turning earlier than usual.  But most of the trees in the forest seem to be on a regular schedule, so if you are planning a visit based on historical times of peak leaf color, I think you will be okay this year.  If anything, colors might peak a few days early, but since the displays last several days at a minimum (assuming no severe rain/wind storms at peak color time!), you should be able to find color somewhere here in the mountains, even if you miss it in one particular location.

Down around Cullowhee and Sylva, Kathy Mathews reports: “Things are moving at a typical fall pace here in Cullowhee and Cashiers (elevations 2300 & 3500 ft). There are individual trees fully colored here and there (mainly the occasional sourwood, burning bush, Virginia creeper; many sumacs are actually finished and browning!), and some trees in early stage of reddening (many dogwoods, sourwoods, buckeyes, red maples, sassafras).   It’s mostly still green here.  I don’t see that leaves are changing any earlier than normal.”  So, Kathy confirms what I think – that peak color will arrive near its normal time this fall.

Near Maggie Valley, up at Purchase Knob (just outside Waynesville), Susan Sachs, the Educational Coordinator at the Appalachian Highlands Learning Center, says “Vivid color in a few Red maples and some changes in Yellow Buckeye but not much else.  We are having a good nut mast year, which hasn’t been the case for the last few years.  We expect the bears and other nut feeders to be fat and happy this winter.”

Jim Costa, Director of Highlands Biological Station in Highlands, reports: “Fall colors are not yet much in evidence in our neck of the woods.  There is a hint of color change with dogwoods, sourwoods, for example, but most everything is still green.  Except for isolated cases — a branch here and there has turned, and the odd Virginia creeper vine.”

So, color is coming, but we still have a few weeks to go before the really great colors show up here.

In the Town of Boone, as you can see in the photo album following this post, colors are ahead of those in the woods.  I think this is because developers have been planting special red maple varieties that have brilliant red fall leaf displays, and if these trees are from northern sources, then it’s logical that they would start turning early here (northern trees planted in southern locales tend to do that).  Also, some trees in town may be stressed from soil compaction, salts, trampling, and so on, which may hasten leaf coloration.

If you’re headed to Asheville, be sure to check out their fall color site: http://www.romanticasheville.com/fall.htm.