As Nathaniel and I crossed the Smokies on I-40 this morning I noticed a few oranges and yellows but mostly green hues on the mountains. That got me thinking about the "color peak" which I believe is somewhat of a myth in our part of the country.
When folks go "leaf peeping" in Southern Appalachia, no matter how much they enjoy the colors and the vistas, I believe most people end up with a perception that they were either early or late. Instead, I'd contend that the peak they think they missed never truly existed.
I see two main reasons for that. First, Southern Appalachian forests are exceptionally diverse, with many varieties of deciduous trees that all change at different times. In addition, it's not uncommon around here to change elevation by a few thousand feet as you drive along a road and to look up mountainsides that rise a couple thousand more feet. Because of those factors, some leaves are changing from late September through some time in November, and I'm not convinced that we have much of a peak.
My personal favorite time is November, when all the leaves have changed but a lot have fallen. The mountains look scarlet from a distance and the landscapes are striking, but most people would consider the best time as having passed.
When do you like fall best?
When folks go "leaf peeping" in Southern Appalachia, no matter how much they enjoy the colors and the vistas, I believe most people end up with a perception that they were either early or late. Instead, I'd contend that the peak they think they missed never truly existed.
I see two main reasons for that. First, Southern Appalachian forests are exceptionally diverse, with many varieties of deciduous trees that all change at different times. In addition, it's not uncommon around here to change elevation by a few thousand feet as you drive along a road and to look up mountainsides that rise a couple thousand more feet. Because of those factors, some leaves are changing from late September through some time in November, and I'm not convinced that we have much of a peak.
My personal favorite time is November, when all the leaves have changed but a lot have fallen. The mountains look scarlet from a distance and the landscapes are striking, but most people would consider the best time as having passed.
When do you like fall best?
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