As color descends throughout California, the bold stands of aspen have disappeared. The last remaining big show are the black oak, which continue to show orange color at elevations below 3,000′.
Oregon splitleaf birch (11/2/16) John Poimiroo
Pacific dogwood (11/2/16) John Poimiroo
Color spotters turn to California’s urban forests for bright color, as I did this past week in my garden in El Dorado Hills (800′).
Chinese pistache (11/2/16) John Poimiroo
Chinese pistache (11/2/16) John Poimiroo
There, Eastern redbud, Pacific dogwood, breeze-brushed Oregon splitleaf birch and Chinese pistache were backlit and beautiful.
Today, I head out on a search for more exotics showing color in Sacramento’s urban forest.
California’s Urban Forests – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
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Stuart Fork, Trinity Alps Resort (10/31/16) Jeri Rangel
Dogwood, Rush Creek, Lewiston (10/31/16) Jeri Rangel
Coffee Creek, Hwy 3 (10/31/16) Jeri Rangel
Dogwood, Hwy 3 (10/31/16) Jeri Rangel
Hwy 3 (10/31/16) Jeri Rangel
Driving CA-3 north from Weaverville past Trinity Lake and the Trinity Alps at this time of year, you truly are on a highway to heaven.
Bold color fills the forest. In places, it is a virtual corridor of autumn drama.
Color spotter Jeri Rangel traveled the route this week, returning with these images of dogwood blushing in the woods and bigleaf maple, vine maple, cottonwood, alder, aspen, chokecherry and oaks lighting streams, forests and roads with autumn color.
California State Highway 3 – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Redding is unusual for a city, in that a major natural area passes through its center. That natural area is the Sacramento River.
Preserved green space flanks each side of the river to provide some flood protection to the city, preserve the riparian environment and provide a corridor of recreation.
The Sacramento River Trail is this week’s Hike of the Week.
It is a National Recreation Trail with miles of biking, walking and running path, Turtle Bay Exploration Park with its children’s discovery museum, museum of art, history and nature, wildlife discovery museum, a riparian forest tree walk, the McConnell Arboretum and Gardens (that focuses on California native plants) and lots of natural fall color.
The trail travels from scenic Shasta Dam at Shasta Lake, 17.4 miles to Sundial Bridge in Redding.
Sundial Bridge is one of three scenic and historic bridges that cross the river. Designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, Sundial Bridge is an actual working sundial, casting its towering shadow across an arc from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is not accurate in winter, however, as its shadow is too far into the adjacent arboretum to be seen.
When the bridge’s shadow is visible, it moves at a rate of one foot per minute. The remarkable, steel, glass and granite structure evokes a sense of weightlessness, and its translucent glass deck glows blue green at night.
The bridge’s cable-stayed, 217-foot pylon supports the bridge, allowing spawning grounds for salmon beneath the bridge to remain untouched.
Other bridges along the trail include the 1915 Diestelhorst Bridge – first to cross the Sacramento River – and a 418-foot stress ribbon bridge, the first of its kind in America.
Snow has curtailed color spotter Shanda Ochs’ reporting from Lassen Volcanic National Park, but encouraged her to explore the Sacramento River Trail and return with this report.
Shanda notes that some remaining fall color can be seen at Manzanita Lake in Lassen Volcanic, though the park is mostly past peak. Nevertheless, she found lots to enjoy along the Sacramento River Trail in Redding’s Caldwell Park.
Most of the trees there are non-native, though there are Frémont cottonwood, bigleaf maple, Oregon ash and willow among them. The color ranges from bold red-orange to splashes of yellow and gold. The river bank is inhabited mostly by native oak woodland and though we rate Redding as peaking, the color should continue develop for a week or two more.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2016-11-03 08:22:212017-10-24 11:01:42Peak of the Week: Redding
Southern California color spotter Frank McDonough discovered a treasure of fall color in Sierra Madre this past week, where boulevard trees were glittering with auburn, crimson, orange, yellow and lime.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2016-11-02 22:21:052016-11-02 22:21:05First Report: A Treasure in Sierra Madre
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (10/30/16) Susan Taylor
Black oak, Sugarloaf Ridge SP, Kenwood (10/29/16) John Natelli
Black oak, Sugarloaf Ridge SP, Kenwood (10/29/16) John Natelli
Bigleaf maple, Sugarloaf Ridge SP, Kenwood (10/29/16) John Natelli
Bigleaf maple, Sugarloaf Ridge SP, Kenwood (10/29/16) John Natelli
California toyon, Sugarloaf Ridge SP, Kenwood (10/29/16) John Natelli
California toyon, Sugarloaf Ridge SP, Kenwood (10/29/16) John Natelli
John Natelli and Susan Taylor visited Sugarloaf Ridge State Park near Kenwood this past weekend and found bigleaf maple, black oak and California toyon peaking.
No doubt this past weekend’s storm knocked some leaves from trees, though our experience is that most leaves – particularly those just beginning to turn – will remain.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (600′ – 2,729′), Kenwood – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Gingko, Lingyan Temple, Yandang Mountain National Park (10/27/15) John Poimiroo
Gingko, Yandang Mountain NP (10/27/16) John Poimiroo
Yandang Mountain NP (10/27/16) John Poimiroo
This past week, my attendance at the annual meeting of the Society of American Travel Writers took me to Wenzhou.
It’s an inviting, industrial city in eastern China, along the Ou River between Shanghai and Hong Kong. Near Wenzhou are several mountain parks, which provided the opportunity to see a Chinese autumn emerging.
Yandang Mountain National Park, an hour north of Wenzhou by superhighway, is a World Geological Park and one of China’s top-rated mountain areas. It is like Yosemite, but with temples.
Yandang Mountain NP (10/27/16) John Poimiroo
Copper-blue stream, goldfish, Yandang Mountain NP (10/27/16) John Poimiroo
Within the national park are soaring rock monoliths, rock climbers, waterfalls, copper blue mountain streams, wildlife areas, caves, and ancient Buddhist temples and shrines, many of which are framed by fall color in late autumn.
Maple trees are prolific in eastern China and forested areas like Yandang Mountain National Park are full of them. Japanese maples are a common choice of horticulturists in the United States, though there are more varieties of Chinese maples, according to MrMaple.com, a cultivar of Asian maples.
Surrounding ancient Lingyan Temple (over 1,000 years old and listed as one of the 18 oldest temples in China) are stands of golden to orange maple and towering, venerable gingko trees, whose bright yellow leaves were transitioning from green to yellow.
Gingko leaves, Lingyan Temple (10/27/16) John Poimiroo
Guidebooks show bright yellow to orange stands of maple filling the forest with color. Though on our visit, even the tea was green.
Only the gingkos were near peak. Guides blamed unseasonably warm weather as keeping the forest from turning, though it’s more likely that, due to the area’s low elevations and latitude, peak does not usually arrive until mid to late November.
Wenzhou Ecological Park near the city, contains Daluo Mountain and a network of stone paths that climb to geologic features, streams, pools and pagodas at points of rest and scenic inspiration.
Green tea, Yandang Mountain NP (10/27/16) John Poimiroo
Daluo Mountain (10/26/16) John Poimiroo
Hiking, Daluo Mountain, Wenzhou (10/26/16) John Poimiroo
Daluo Mountain’s trails pass through lush bamboo corridors and past a variety of deciduous plants that were just starting to show color.
Yandang Mountain National Park (3,635′), Yandangshan,China – Just Starting (0-10%)
Daluo Mountain (2,300′), Wenzhou Ecological Park – Just Starting (0-10%)
One of the most colorful autumn scenes in Wenzhou was found on Jiangxin Islet in the middle of the Ou River where, at dusk, brides gathered in front of the decaying Victorian-era (1890) British Embassy to pose for wedding pictures.
As golden Gingko leaves fluttered past the posing brides, I saw the following image developing and moved into position to frame a shot that eventually won the Society of American Travel Writers’ Bronze Award in the 2018 Bill Muster Photo Competition Culture Category.
Wenzhou Brides, Jiangxin Islet (10/28/16) John Poimiroo
Barns are beautiful. They’re particularly beautiful in autumn.
Color spotter Jeri Rangel happened past the Bowerman Barn in Covington Mill and stopped to share its beauty. Black oak and cottonwood surround the pasture with bright color.
Bowerman Barn, Covington Mill, Shasta Cascade – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2016-10-27 15:16:032016-10-27 15:42:14Barns and Fall Color
Black Oak, Indian Valley, Plumas County (10/26/16) Jeff Titcomb
Indian Rhubarb, Indian Creek (10/26/16) Jeff Titcomb
Indian Creek, Plumas County (10/26/16) Jeff Titcomb
Indian Rhubarb, Indian Creek (10/26/16) Jeff Titcomb
Indian Creek in Plumas County (Northern Sierra) is painted with color with Indian rhubarb at full brilliance, dogwood and bigleaf maple showing pink and yellow and black oak beginning to turn bright orange.
Indian Creek, Plumas County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2016-10-27 15:06:312016-10-27 15:32:56Peak of the Week: Indian Creek
Fremont cottonwood, Topaz, CA (10/24/16) Jeff Simpson
Mono Lake (10/24/16) Jeff Simpson
The northern end of US 395 in the Eastern Sierra, before it passes through Nevada, is in its glory.
Tall Fremont cottonwood that grow beside the Walker River and in the towns of Walker, Coleville and Topaz are loaded with golden leaves.
Walker Canyon – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! The banks of the West Walker River are lined with gold! Plan your viewing for mid-day as the shadows will be out early in the morning and late afternoon.
Towns of Walker & Coleville – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! Lots of great color in Antelope Valley. The cottonwoods around Topaz Lane and gold and orange. Make sure to head up to the shores of topaz lake for some spectacular views.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2016-10-27 14:35:542016-10-27 14:41:25Mono Lake to Topaz is Golden
Yosemite’s famous eastern sugar maple has presented its crimson show near the Yosemite Chapel. Pacific dogwood and bigleaf maple have littered Fern Spring at the entrance to Yosemite Valley. Now, as Halloween approaches, the valley’s famous tall black oak are beginning their show.
The color will continue through mid to late November, as the black oak throughout the valley and particularly dense near Yosemite Village turn deep shades of orange.
Black oak, Yosemite Valley – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2016-10-27 14:23:182016-10-27 14:26:28Yosemite's Black Oak Wear Their Halloween Colors
