Any Leaf-Peepers Out There?

[Mike K.]

Well, autumn is upon us - crisp air, apple cider, flannel shirts, and brilliant foliage. I managed to schedule some travel back home to Virginia just in time to catch the fall colors at their peak. I'm definitely planning an outing to Shenandoah National Park sometime in the next several days to photograph and to break out the cooler weather attire that I rarely get to use in south Florida. Photos will be posted soon.

Anyone else doing anything special to take advantage of the fall season?

 

[MPicciotto]

Just came back from a trip to Eastern Tenn. Included spending part of two days in the Smoky Mountains. (the home we stayed at was in downtown Pigeon Forge only 20 minutes from one of the park visitor centers). It was interesting how the leaves were barely starting to turn at the elevation for Gatlinburg, only 1500 feet. But by the time one arrived at Newfound Gap about 5000 feet up the leaves were falling off the trees like it was snowing out. In between it was well, in between. Some of the best colors were halfway between those two points. We did a hike in North Carolina about 10 miles from Newfound Gap at about 4000 feet up. Brilliant yellow beech forest along a small creek for 2 miles.

Matt

 

[Miss Neecerie]

This year marks the first year I live somewhere where there is this whole leaf changing fall phenomenon thingy.

So yes, I have been enjoying the show. My work is in a forested area so I get to see every day, and have taken pictures about a week apart from the same place to sort of track the changes over time.

This the view from work's parking lot this week:

 

[shortbow]

It's been fabulous here this year. Bright blue sunny skies and hordes and heaps and even lots of flaming yellow birch and cottonwoods, Douglas maple, and in town, transplanted sugar maples. It makes hunting and hiking this time of year at least 100 per cent better. Just simply dazzling.

 

[Dav]

Anyone else doing anything special to take advantage of the fall season?

Can't say I'm doing anything special but I do have a small collection of Japanese Maples so I always look forward to their autumnal display.

 

[Boodles]

NC Mountains

We are in the NC mountains this weekend, on a mountain which looks down on Waynesville, Clyde, Lake Junaluska, etc., at about 4500'. The most color we see from here is looking toward Mt. Pisgah and Cold Mountain. The colors are wonderful but the cool air is glorious. After months of 90 degree days it is so nice to feel the chill. MikeK has said it already and I agree, it is really nice to have the cool weather, and in my case, to need the heavy wool vest and go for an early walk and watch the brittany working his nose. The weekend days are mobbed with people so we'll wait until Monday or Tuesday to take a drive down the Parkway.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I love this time of year in New England. My office is in Lexington and Lexington is lovely right now. I love walking through the woods with a canopy of color filtering the coppery edges of light with the crunching of leaves underfoot.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We're usually overrun with leaf-peeping tourists this time of year, but the weather this summer has badly limited the color. Most of our leaves are still green, and those that aren't went straight from green to brown. And the windstorms of the past week have put most of those straight onto the ground.

Wait till next year, I guess.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

That's sad, Lizzie. I hope there are a few beautiful trees in the mix. Sometimes there is that perfectly formed, perfectly balanced brilliant tree that makes all autumn in a single viewing.

 

[crwritt]

We're usually overrun with leaf-peeping tourists this time of year, but the weather this summer has badly limited the color. Most of our leaves are still green, and those that aren't went straight from green to brown. And the windstorms of the past week have put most of those straight onto the ground.

Wait till next year, I guess.

Oh, Lizzie, too bad the foliage isn't so great up your way this year. We've had some spectacular red, gold, and orange foliage here in Southern Maine. Strong winds, though, so this morning it looks like its been snowing leaves.

 

[dhermann1]

Here in New York there are fewer sugar maples, so less color. There are a lot of trees that just go yellow, which is OK, but not a great as the great reds and oranges of further north.
The webcam at Chautauqua shows that most of the leaves up there, which are always really spectacular (overused word on thisi thread!) are on the ground already.

http://www.ciweb.org/webcam/

 

[Peacoat]

Yesterday our club took a motorcycle trip to the plateau that separates the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee from the mountains of East Tennessee. The colors weren't as vivid this year, probably due to the lack of any meaningful rainfall in this area since August. The leaves seem to turn to yellow or brown, and then fall off the tree. Maybe next year.

 

[HeyMoe]

Colors in Vermont weren't as bright as in past years, but it was still a memorable fall for me (got married )

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

Sadly, we are not blessed with beautiful Maples you have in the USA but I do love the fall. While not as impressive as New England I do think our Beech trees have a certain beauty with their colour. I am biased to classic English chalk downland though ;-)

Apologies for the camera shake

Photo's taken looking from Pitsone Hill towards Ashridge, Bucks 30th October 2010

 

[Gilboa]

Autum ... a colourful burst before the calm ...

I do love this season, despite its dampness. I have not yet had the chance to take pictures of the foliage as it has been raining for some days now.

But its not just the leaves that are fascinating in autumn.
Morning dew and morning mist are my favourites in this time of the year:

The silky blanket of nightly dreams slowly lifts and drifts away, releasing us all from our sleep.

Nature's own christmas decoration. It was a busy spider ....

And even on a rainy day, when the wind is makeing great effort to rip off your clothing and the rain is keen to attach itself to your skin even if it is covered up, your face forcefully pointing to the floor, even then, nature has its surprises.



I love it!!

 

[Doctor Strange]

As others have said, the colors were considerably more subdued than usual this year. It's now virtually over, and today's high winds and strong rain will knock off whatever's left.

Too bad, because we often have spectacular foliage to the north of NYC. Here's a shot I took a few years ago, along Indian Brook Road in Fahnestock State Park in Putnam County:

 

[DanielJones]

Heck, I wish we could get all those wonderful fall colors in our area. Middle of California isn't too spectacular for leaf peeping and photography.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Mike K.]

Well, my short vacation home to Virginia yielded similar findings - lots of subdued coloration overall. I found some brighter colors in parts of Pennsylvania and in northwestern Virginia. Dry summer conditions usually lead to poor autumn color. Given the not-so-brilliant foliage display, I decided to skip most of the photography I had originally planned to do while on vacation but here's one shot (still a lot of greens even at the "peak" color period).

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Next autumn I hope to see great pics of Fedora Loungers out enjoying the scenery...decked out of course in classic apparel from L. L. Bean, Woolrich, etc.