Fall (ish)

By Cindy Landrum  

OCTOBER 3, 2010 11:51 a.m. (0)

This year’s hot and dry summer could make for more muted fall colors, an earlier start to nature’s annual color explosion or both – or none of the above.

With this summer’s record-breaking temperatures, the lack of rain and a fall that has been unseasonably warm so far, it’s been a challenging year for those who forecast fall colors.

Typically, fall foliage season in the Carolinas runs from the end of September to early November, when chlorophyll in leaves breaks down because of shorter days and colder nights and reveals the colors that were overpowered by summer’s greens.

“There’s always really good color somewhere,” said Kathy Gould Mathews, an associate professor of biology at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. who specializes in plant systematics and is the school’s unofficial fall foliage prognosticator.

But predicting where and when the reds, yellows and oranges will be at their peak in Greenville, Pickens and Oconee counties in Upstate South Carolina and in western North Carolina has been unusually challenging so far.

With this year’s above-average summer temperatures and below average rainfall in the spring and summer in the mountains, Mathews usually would predict a very nice color change this month.

Mathews said the formation of ample yellow, orange and red pigments in the leaves seems to correlate with dry weather throughout the year. She said the drier the climate, the more brilliant the fall leaves tend to be.

“If that was the only factor, I would expect good color,” she said.

But cold weather is also needed.

“We need a cold snap to happen to bring out the bright reds,” Mathews said. “The longer that’s delayed, the less bright the trees will be.”

And if it happens too late, the leaves may start browning and dropping before the change can be seen.

“There’s going to be some variation, but I’m hoping we’ll still have the right conditions. If we get a cold snap soon, we’ll have a nice fall,” Mathews said. “If it stays hot, then the leaf drop will overlap the colors.”

In an average year, the first frost in the mountains occurs around mid-October, she said. But usually in late September and early October, the mountains see temperatures in the 70s during the day and in the 50s and 60s at night, she said.

That’s why Mathews says the peak color in the North Carolina mountains may not happen until the end of October.

Mathews said usually the color change peaks anywhere from four to seven days after the first frost.

“If frost comes later than usual, so will the peak color change of the leaves,” she said.

Kurtis Stukes, assistant park ranger at Table Rock State Park, said he expects the color change to start a bit earlier than in the past. He said he expects the first hints of color to come within the next two weeks. “The way the weather patterns look, I’m expecting a good color year,” he said.

South Carolina park officials say several locations in the Upstate are ideal for viewing fall foliage.

The overlook at Caesar’s Head State Park has earned the reputation for being one of the best locations for viewing fall color in all of South Carolina. The view atop the outcropping gives a bird’s eye view of the Blue Ridge escarpment and the Piedmont dressed in reds, oranges and yellows. From the overlook, visitors can see Table Rock, the Table Rock Reservoir, Mathews Creek Valley and the city of Greenville with the mountains of North Carolina and Georgia as the backdrop.

Another view from Caesar’s Head State Park is just as spectacular but requires a moderately difficult hike to an observation platform at Raven Cliff Falls. Hikers who cross a suspension bridge can view the 400-foot cascade from above. It is a two-mile hike to the observation tour and a four-mile hike to the suspension bridge.

Jones Gap State Park gives a different view of the fall color. The park is located in a valley and offers a wall of color from its many hiking trails. The Middle Saluda River runs through the park.

For those who want a longer road trip, there is the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding mountainous areas in North Carolina. Predictions for this year put the color change in the highest elevations north of Asheville above 5,000 feet from Oct. 3 through Oct. 14. That includes Mount Mitchell, Craggy Gardens and Grandfather Mountain.

From Oct. 11 through Oct. 21, color will move down to elevations greater than 4,000 feet, including Mount Pisgah, Black Balsam, Devil’s Courthouse, Waterrock Knob and Graveyard Fields. Peak color is also expected during this time in the Highlands area and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

From Oct. 18 through Oct. 27, the latest predictions say areas in the 3,000 to 4,000 foot elevation range should be good for color.

The latest predictions call for fall color around Hendersonville, Brevard and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville during the week of Oct. 24 through Nov. 3.

Fall color could linger through mid-November in the lower elevations of the Upstate, experts said.

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