Color update in Western North Carolina

[pathways]

Went on the Blue Ridge Parkway today from mile 419 to 444. Color is

gone above 4800 feet, some white oaks are doing some red, blueberry

bushes deep dark red. Some ice but no problem as far as driving.

Aspect is mostly sepia/green/achromaticia. Graveyard Fields is past

peak, basically gray, the wild fire cherry trees are red, but

brilliance and saturation are not good. From 3500 to 4300 feet (or so)

lots of color. Maples are bright red/gold, beeches shrivled, chestnuts

have lost leaves early, oaks still green down there. Color is intense

where you find it - need tight groupings. Leaves seem to be moving

quickly (about 5 days) from first color to brown/shriveled. Traffic

moderate, no crowds. John.

[larry h.]

I just wanted to suggest that readers also look at the Smokies Update thread at http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0015Nb&topic_id=34&topic=Nature%20Photography. There is info relevant to other parts of western NC, too. John, I had a couple of questions in there mainly directed at you. Do you think the leaves above 4000' just shriveled without turning because of a deep freeze? And, are trees above 5000' dying all around western NC like they did on Mt. Mitchell?

[ccrevasse]

I rode my bike across the Cherohala Parkway (between Tellico Plains, TN, and Robbinsville, NC) on 10/14. It appeared to me that the trees in the higher elevations (above 4500 feet) were suffering from dehydration more than cold. Otherwise, the climb from Tellico Plains to the summit (5390 feet) took me from early fall through gorgeous color to the dry, stunted summit trees.

[pathways]

Just returned from the October meeting of the Franklin (NC) Camera Club tonight and one photographer was on the Cherohala Skyway today and said that the color was "fabulous". He's going back tomorrow. Another rode the Smoky Mountain Railroad out of Sylva to the park & back and said he saw a lot of color, " ... very intense in places". I will probably work the back roads around Franklin and out US 64w over the remainder of the week. There is a lot of color everywhere now and deepening by the hour. What we are waiting to see now is does "magic" take place like it did in 1996. That is, does the red tweak into scarlet and crimson, and the yellow into gold? It will take another 72 hours to find out. John.

[jeff_hallett1]

I agree with Chris. The area has suffered a lack of normal rainfall

and many areas where drainage is rapid show leaf dehydration.

But there are other areas where color is or will be magnificent.

Just returned from N.GA and colors were there, especially in high elevations with water retentive soils such as Brasstown Bald.