Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
What’s the first day of fall without a fall color report from exploreasheville.com?
But stick with Ashvegas for a comprehensive overview, and for an objective view on how the leaf-peeping season is going. All the old-timers say we need a quick cold-snap to really get the fall color season kicked into high gear. We haven’t had that yet.
The first official day of fall has arrived. Late summer rains and a cooling weather pattern trigger expert forecasts that fall 2008 could produce the most colorful leaf season in years in Western North Carolina (WNC).
“I think it (fall) will be better than the past couple of years, but the next few weeks will be important. The cooling trend we are now experiencing is a good start. If this is followed by a light frost, we could be looking at some nice fall foliage this year,” said Dr. Gary Walker, a biology professor at Appalachian State University.
“Recent rains will help keep the leaves on the trees and extend the fall color season,” said Dr. Kathy Gould Mathews, assistant biology professor at Western Carolina University. “We should hope for a rapid cooling of temperatures in late September into October for the best fall color show. Normally, the peak color occurs within a week after the first frost.”
“I think fall color in WNC is among the best fall color shows anywhere in the world! There are very few places you can go to see better fall color than the Appalachian Mountains,” said Jesse Pope, lead naturalist at Grandfather Mountain. “The diversity of tree and shrub species here in WNC help make our fall color so varied.”
“Year in and year out, the maples (neon red, orange, and yellow), oaks (red, yellow, rusty brown), sourwood (red), black gum (maroon), beech (gold), birches (yellow/gold), ashe (yellow), cottonwood (yellow), buckeye (yellow, rusty gold), among many other species really put on a show,” said Pope.
Watch out for the Leaf People they are going to be out soon bumping into walls as they aimlessly wonder around small towns.