Fall Foliage Reports - How Are The Leaves?

Unfortunately, it is still summer down in central Texas, with temps in the mid 90s this week. No color other than green--which certainly beats the dead brown we've had for the 6 previous years, so I'm not complaining.

I will have to enjoy fall color vicariously through the beautiful images posted by the rest of you!

Here in New England it's still pretty green. I actually went north into Maine this weekend expecting vibrant colors but there really wasn't that much yet. Maybe by next weekend.

A few trees here and there but overall still mostly green.

when i passed through PA near ohio area, the trees just started to change about 2 weeks ago. here in westfield nj, the leaves changed for i think walnut trees (the leaves are down already), and maple is at peak. there is some color, but hoping i can see more before a storm hits. we seem to have a thing about, peak season, its almost ready and then we have a hurricane or an ice storm or something. they are changing earlier this year though. and they said it will look nicer some how.

---Mike Savad

about an hour north of Washington DC .. occasional scarlet sumac ... but everything else is turning from emerald to olive greenish, so we're probably not too far off here.

... Mike ... SO true!!!!! I hope to get up to our cabin in PA before long ... peak is usually somewhere around the 2nd / 3rd week of October ... but how right you are about a big storm just before the best leaf-peepin days. 2008 was awesome ... and I've been waiting for another like that ever since.

Adam,

Just checked the palm trees, still pretty green! But I found these leaves out in the yard...........



Looks like it's peak somewhere..................

Rich

I maybe in NJ next Friday, for a week and hope to see some color out towards the West side of NJ. If the leaves are good, I'll take off on Saturday and then return to Ridgefield Park on Sunday afternoon, and then leave for Florida, the next Friday,10/26,

According to the Internet, peak for NJ will be that weekend I'm arriving!

Rich

Anything around Central/Northwest Arkansas yet?

Northern Pocono Mountains of NE PA - Past Peak.
No bright foliage this year in the upper elevations. That grungy gold - russet color.
Many almost bare trees already - & some still green. Disappointing. Hoping to get a ride in South.

its been a while since we had a good autumn. it used to be fine. then ice storms, 2 hurricanes, and other years it was so late that it was winter, they just fell off. or they are at peak and its a wind storm and all gone again. i think this year will be ok, no hurricanes at all so far. we may have a normal autumn that we will probably pay for in the winter.

as for peak in nj, i think it depends on altitude and if its near water. higher in the mountains seemed to show the most color.

right now i'm looking for a place we can go, i have no idea, we've been almost everywhere.

---Mike Savad

Northwestern Wyoming - Stands of bare aspen in the higher elevations interspersed with stands of yellow and orange. Maples peaked a couple weeks ago in the western canyons. They were blood red and spectacular! Cottonwoods beginning to turn along the rivers. Beautifully golden along the upper Gros Ventre. Will be heading toward southern Utah in a couple weeks and hope it won't be too late for color in the canyons. Wild roses along the creeks turning reddish-bronze and blazing with red hips. I already have many thousand images to review and no time to even look at them.

New Hampshire/Vermont - Lots of color on the edges of the road but still a lot of green in the hills. Rain coming over the next few days.

@Skip Hunt. Not much in NW Arkansas yet.

I'll be checking out the High Sierras in California soon. It sounds like things are promising there...although, I'm sure they'd be better if we weren't in the middle of a drought!

I am on vacation next week - going up to the French River Ontario for fall colors - should be spectacular and in their peak - here in southern Ontario we have some trees that changed color already but not all!

Southeastern lower Michigan - not at peak yet. It's been cold at night so I'm surprised we don't have more color. Probably 1 - 2 weeks we'll be at peak.

Just came back from Massachusetts last Tuesday and they are mostly green still as well.

Seattle area, Washington -- still waiting! Our summer has extended into fall, so it will probably be a little while before real fall weather appears and leaves turn orange and red. It's been so oddly warm that my poor, confused amaryllis is blooming again!

We are at or past peak colors in most of the Colorado mountains now:

I was in Maine last week. Acadia National Park, mostly still green, but what turned is very nice. Headed towards Baxter State Park and it's half.
Here in northeast Pennsylvania, higher elevations are colorful, while the valley is still mostly green.

I'll be heading down into the Smokies next week... I got a glimpse this past weekend and it didn't look too showy yet, so giving it a bit more time. Going to be around 80 here again this week, I'm so over the heat! I'd kill to be back home in NH this fall, if money and time weren't in the way...

Big storm came through today and wiped most of the leaves from my walnut trees, those are yellow, but only a bit of maple turning so far.

Ticonderoga, NY near the VT border looks promising today. Must have been a big storm last night. Just woke up in the Walmart parking lot and there are some bright red, orange and yellows in sight with most of the leaves still on the trees.

the leaves are just starting to change in St. Louis, MO. With all the rain, I hope we'll get good colors this year!

Past peak but still colorful in New Hampshire. Warm weather is making this one of the best tourist seasons in a very long time in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Does anyone use this site? http://www.foliagenetwork.com

I'll be in NC and VA next week - hoping the color is still hanging on.

I'm in New England....it depends.

Two weeks ago, I was in Hillsborough County in NH. There was color, green leaves and downed leaves. I'm thinking it's on its way past peak by now.
In my hometown in southeastern MA, we are beginning to turn, but still two weeks from peak. Yet some parts of town are glorious.

First image - Hollis, NH two weekends ago Second image - Plymouth, MA this week.

My poor Florida son said this to me just yesterday: "Mom, I saw a picture of autumn on the internet. Everything was golden....all red and orange and yellow. It was so...beautiful." My kids have experienced winter and snow on a few Christmas breaks, but too bad there is not a long school holiday in the autumn so they could see it in person.

Anyone been down in West Virginia? New River Gorge, Sandstone, Babcock, Grand View and places like that?

Think the area around Philly is supposed to peak around the end of Oct but really want to go to WV if the colors will still be good next week.

Babcock has a nice web cam of the Glade Creek Grist Mill that is updated every 60 seconds. It looks nice there.

http://www.babcocksp.com/

Adam, why aren't you out enjoying the 75 degree weather?

I'll be needing some help raking up those darn leaves in a few weeks if you want to head east.

Took this a few days ago near Hope Valley, off of California 88

Most of Wisconsin is past peak already, or its a mix of yellow/brown and green. We just got back from Door County, much of the Green Bay side had hit and miss pockets of color, the Lake Michigan side had a lot of pop. Got in a few good shots, but haven't fully processed anything yet. We haven't had an eye popping fall here for 3 years or so.

@Edward -

Local ski club does a week in OBX in the fall when the rates drop to off-season and the windsurfing, kayaking and everything else is still awesome with zero crowds.

Planned OBX a long time ago without thinking about chasing the colors. Won't get as many fall shots but OBX is pretty awesome right now.

Hoping for some color in Chattanooga this weekend as I visit there for the first time. I'll be shooting at Rock City, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and, I hope, the Chattanooga Incline Railway, which has been closed apparently. I'll at least get a couple of steam engines at the TVRM. Next weekend I have tentative plans to shoot the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and areas in and around Bryson City, NC.

We're pretty much at peak now, I think, but there are plenty of green trees left. Might go out with the camera this weekend if there is some sun, but I'm kind of over shooting fall scenes....done it to death by now. Perhaps if I drive around a bit (lots of farmland near where I live), I'll find something worth the trouble.

Yep, all of the leaves are turning a nice dirt brown. Fall is here in the south!!! LOL

It's been at or near peak here in the hills of Northwestern CT since this past weekend. From what I've seen in Fairfield county (SW corner) it looks just as colorful. Last weekend I did a workshop up at the CT/Mass border at a waterfall and the colors were gorgeous.

Still have green leaves in Houston, Texas. Time to get the trees trimmed for fall winds and winter storms. Our best color is in December. By the time we get "fall color," it's winter!

In my guestroom,I have fall leaves, arranged on art paper, topping a desk covered with glass. A friend brought me a lavender leaf years ago from her trip to Chicago. I had never heard of a lavender leaf! Any ideas what it might be?

It's a balmy 80 today and the leaves in Southern NH are beautiful and bright. There are some trees with none but for the most part the oranges, reds, and yellows are brighter than the past several years.

Last week I took a foliage drive called the "currier and Ives" route. Still a lot of green that's mostly changed now.

Monday morning I driove to Woodstock VT. To shoot the sunrise at Jenne Farm. It's mostly just past peak there this week but you're still getting spots of bright colors. When you mix that with all those pines, it makes for great textures and patterns in the hills and mountains.

Heading in to shoot Boston this Friday. Usually I get my best photos there around the last week of October but this year everything seems to be about a week and a half early.

New River Gorge in WV is still decent. Past peak but still some nice colors.

Lancaster County in PA, home to more than 30 Covered bridges and lots of awesome farm scenes was spectacular a couple days ago.

Bucks County, PA was quite nice 5 days ago and is probably still awesome.

I have a feeling that here in the Carolinas, we are going to have a typical fall foliage season with two stages -- 1.) leaves *start* turning and looks to be a great season coming and then 2.) leaves turn brown and fall off dead. In any event, I am heading to the mountains to see this Sunday.

For the NJ question try the NJ link on my website. (http://www.jeff-foliage.com/)
I do mostly New England but I have the like to NJ and NY since I get several people asking.

This season was disjointed and drawn out. Color started early due to the cold temps in Sept but the trees didn't all start so it means the trees that were early showed bright color but were bare when other trees near them were ready to turn...

I made good images though and it sounds like many folks did in NE.

I hope all of you got to enjoy some great colors in your local areas.

Note I'm still seeing some nice color in Salem MA and the Gingko's are just turning a beautiful gold color...

Just left NJ on Friday and did see some color, but nothing really brilliant and not a lot of reds. Here are 2 shots from Western NJ, Sussex County and enhanced by Photoshop,





Got some great waterfalls at Childs Park, In Eastern PA,near Dingman's Ferry,which I'll post soon, I hope,

Rich

Madison Wisconsin.

right now where i am, nj, the sugar maple is gone. the maple is red and yellow. oak is just falling off as is. walnut lost its leaves weeks ago. the bulk of the trees are still green, most are just falling off. which is good in a way, because this time of year we sometimes get ice storms. and with the leaves still up, would mean power outs everywhere.

right now i'd like to find a park we haven't gone too already. so we can get some fall shots. its also going to be a cold windy weekend, so my guess is most of the leaves will be gone anyway.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com