Cupertino has been producing high tech gold for decades. Now Gingko biloba are littering the home of Apple Corporation with fallen gold.
Deepa Yuvaraj writes she’s been sharing pictures of Silicon Valley fall color with friends for years, though just discovered CaliforniaFallColor.com, perhaps because of The Merc’s review (previous post).
Perhaps someone who works at Apple would take pictures with an iPhone of fall color inside the Apple Park campus ring. It would sure be fun to post them.
Colusa National Wildlife Refuge (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Birders and photographers stood on a platform at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in the chill morning air yesterday.
Most were regulars. They visit the refuge almost daily with their spotting scopes, binoculars and long lenses.
“An eagle must have spooked them,” one of the photographers said, as swirling white and grey specks rose above a line of orange-black oaks in the distance.
Mass Ascension, Colusa NWR (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Lenses turned as one as one of several mass ascensions seen that morning approached. At first, I shot with my Nikkor 200 to 500 mm lens on a D850, then shifted from the big gun to a separate body with a Nikkor 24 to 70 mm on a D700.
By the time the snow and Ross geese arrived, I’d dialed down the lens to 24 mm. Phil Reedy stood nearby, doing the same.
Mass Ascension, Colusa NWR (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Geese circled above us in great, flapping, squawking wonder. I got off a couple of dozen frames on motor, then thought, “Enjoy the moment” and put down the camera to just be enthralled by the beauty of being immersed in the experience.
Northern shoveler hen, Colusa NWR (11/22/19) Philip Reedy
Colusa NWR – Peak Migration – Snow geese, Ross geese, various ducks and other migratory fowl.
Snow and Ross geese, Colusa NWR (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Eurasian Widgeon, Colusa NWR (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Pintail ducks, Colusa NWR (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Snow and Ross geese, Colusa NWR (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Snow geese, Colusa NWR (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Eurasian Widgeon (l), American Widgeons (r), Colusa NWR (11/22/19) John Poimiroo
Chinese pistache, Pistacia chinensis, Santa Clara (11/20/19) Anson Davalos
Sweetgum, Liquidambar, Los Gatos (11/20/19) Anson Davalos
At a time when visions of sugar plums dance in childrens’ heads, Anson Davalos sends visions of Sweetgums, Flowering pear and Chinese pistache from Silicon Valley.
Though the San Bernardino Mountains apple-growing area is at an elevation of 4,734′, fall color still looks good and should stay at peak until Thanksgiving Day, SoCal color spotter Alena Nicholas estimates.
She was there on Monday taking pictures and being interviewed by Spectrum News for Californiafallcolor.com.
Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Alena reports that Oak Glen’s ponds, woods and orchards are still full of bright color. Deer have settled into the orchards as they wait for the inevitable apple to fall from an upper branch.
Oak Glen was California’s first apple harvest destination. Its farms and shops are famous for their homebaked apple pastries, nature trails, handmade gifts, harvest atmosphere, honest family fun and fresh-pressed cider.
And yes, there’s still time to order a ready-to-bake apple pie before Thanksgiving Day.
Mule deer rest in an apple orchard, Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Liquidambar, Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Chinese pistache, Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Chinese pistache, Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Red oak, Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Oak Glen (11/18/19) Alena Nicholas
Oak Glen (4,734′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2019-11-19 00:15:122019-11-23 13:05:45A Cornucopia of Color
Bigleaf maple, San Gabriel River Trail (11/17/19) Steve Shinn
Liturgy describes St. Gabriel (San Gabriel in Spanish) as the archangel of judgment. If so, then color spotter Steve Shinn judges the West Fork of the San Gabriel River as absolutely angelic.
Steve volunteers for the U.S. Forest Service, capturing the beauty of San Gabriel National Forest and people enjoying it. As such, he visits the area regularly and writes he would vote the West Fork of the San Gabriel River, which connects CA-39 above Azusa, as one of the most beautiful spots in the San Gabriel Mountains.
W Fork San Gabriel River (11/17/19) Steve Shinn
San Gabriel NF (11/9/19) Steve Shinn
W Fork San Gabriel River (11/17/19) Steve Shinn
W. Fork San Gabriel River – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW or YOU MISSED IT.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2019-11-18 11:38:392019-11-18 11:39:09Angelic San Gabriel
Palo Alto and Mountain View on the San Francisco Peninsula are experiencing another boom … the fall color kind.
Landmark gingko biloba and Liquidambar are carpeting Mountain View neighborhoods with yellow and pink leaves and Palo Alto is aglow at dusk with orange.
Lake Sherwood, Ventura County (11/17/19) Kathy Jonokuchi
Peak color is being seen at Sherwood Forest, surrounding Lake Sherwood near Westlake Village, not Nottingham, England.
Nonetheless, this is truly where Robin Hood and his merry men once lived. Wayne Gretzky also lived there. Lake Sherwood was so named because two films starring Errol Flynn were partly filmed there in 1922 and 1938. A community eventually formed around the lake.
Male Bufflehead, Lake Sherwood (11/17/19) Kathy Jonokuchi
Acorn woodpeckers, Lake Sherwood (11/17/19) Kathy Jonokuchi
Cackling Goose, Lake Sherwood (11/17/19) Kathy Jonokuchi
Spotted Sandpiper, Lake Sherwood (11/17/19) Kathy Jonokuchi
Southern California color spotter Kathy Jonokuchi was among Audubon Society birders who were invited to visit the exclusive neighborhood to observe over 60 species of wintering birds there. Click to enlarge.
Ringing Lake Sherwood, she found Western sycamore, cottonwood and valley oak, not the Sheriff of Nottingham’s men.
Western sycamore, Lake Sherwood (11/17/19) Kathy Jonokuchi
Lake Sherwood, Westlake Village (879′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Because this is a private community, you can’t actually go now. The closest similar fall color would likely be seen surrounding Malibu Lake.
English oak, University Arboretum, CSU Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Everyone ought to have a leaf Sunday.
It’s a Sunday drive just to see peaking leaves. Mine was spent on a route I’ve taken many times with stops in El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Fair Oaks and Sacramento.
Brown’s Ravine, Folsom Lake SRA, El Dorado Hills (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Brown’s Ravine, Folsom Lake SRA, El Dorado Hills (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Brown’s Ravine, Folsom Lake SRA, El Dorado Hills (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Toyon, Brown’s Ravine, Folsom Lake SRA, El Dorado Hills (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Mormon Island Wetlands Reserve, Folsom (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
El Dorado Hills has trees yet to turn, but more than half have dropped leaves, so it’s between peak and past peak. Fremont cottonwood and Toyon are nearing the end of their peak at Folsom Lake SRA; and landmark Fremont cottonwood at Mormon Island Wetlands are at peak and crowed with bright yellow.
Fair Oaks Park (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Fair Oaks Park (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Fair Oaks Park (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Fair Oaks Park is nearing the end of peak. The approaching storm is likely to remove whatever color is still hanging, and the village’s chickens seemed to know a storm is approaching, as they were crowing anxiously.
University Arboretum, CSU Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Fox Squirrel, CSU Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Dawn Redwood, CSU Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Linden, CSU Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Quince, CSU Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Osage Orange CSU Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Witch Hazel, CSU Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
The University Arboretum was mostly past peak, though lovers didn’t mind. They sat on benches in quiet corners of the arboretum, ignoring arguments between squirrels, as they whispered to one another and kissed.
Fabulous Forties, Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Along the Fabulous Forties in east Sacramento (avenues numbered in the 40s), large dumps of leaves from towering London plane trees planted near the curbs have littered the avenues. Owners of these stately homes are out each weekend, blowing, raking and sweeping the detritus into piles to be hauled away by city workers.
Holly and her daughter blow leaves into a pile (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
I happened upon Holly and her daughter who were rushing to blow a week’s fall of folioles, so that party guests would have room to park along the curb that night.
There was autumn in the air in downtown Sacramento. Couples dressed in sweatshirts and light sweaters, even though temps were in the low 70s.
The constant fall of leaves from the city’s canopy of color (see “Rollin’ Thru SacTown” posted earlier today), makes Sacramento seem like it should be colder than it is. Perhaps that will change this week, as snow in the Sierra is predicted.
William Land Park, Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
Leaf-dressed picnics, touch football, golf and Sunday strolls were happening at William Land Park, and I closed my Leaf Sunday Drive stopping at the Freeport Bakery to purchase a couple of … what else? Leaf Cookies.
Leaf Cookies, Freeport Bakery, Sacramento (11/17/19) John Poimiroo
El Dorado Hills (768′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
Mormon Island Wetlands Reserve (372′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Folsom (220′)– Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
Fair Oaks (174′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
CSU Arboretum – Sacramento (30′) – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT.
Fabulous Forties – Sacramento (30′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Downtown – Sacramento (30′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
William Land Park – Sacramento (30′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
California St., Lodi (11/14/19) Bea Ahbeck/Lodi News-Sentinel
John Fogerty said he never actually visited Lodi when he wrote the classic line, “Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again.”
Had he, Fogerty would have learned that Lodi has 85+ wineries covering 100,000+ acres (most in California), nearby wildlife refuges full of Sandhill Cranes, egrets and heron, an annual Fall Color Paddle on the Mokelumne River (Sat., Nov. 23), and loads of fall color.
So, if you’re “lookin’ for a pot of gold,” as Fogerty was, there are few places in the state where autumn gold is more easily found right now, than in Lodi … again.
Photos courtesy VisitLodi.
Lodi (11/14/19) Bea Ahbeck/Lodi News-Sentinel
Gingko Biloba, Lodi (11/14/19) Bea Ahbeck/Lodi News-Sentinel
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2019-11-17 00:40:232019-11-18 10:48:29Peak in Lodi Again
