Aspen Progressing Faster, Cottonwoods On Schedule

Color spotter Steve Wolfe is back chasing fall colors in the Eastern Sierra.  Steve’s photography appeared last autumn on this blog and he’s back in the eastern Sierra scouting foliage from Big Pine to just below Bridgeport to the north.

Steve reports what we believe is happening, that the quaking aspen are further along than last year and turning faster.  We noticed that the appearance of color was about what it was last year, but that the progression of color has been much faster.  That is, areas are appearing to change about as they did this time last year, but once they get to Patchy, the progression through Near Peak to Peak is rapid.

That means, you have to be ready to go when we’re reporting Patchy color and certainly, once we report Near Peak, as our reports can be received a day or two after the photograph was taken.  California Fall Color always shows date-marked photographs, so you know what’s happening now.  We rarely will publish a photo older than a week and then only when it is clearly marked as to the date it was taken.

Steve notes, he believes the color “isn’t as uniform as 2013; there are still patches of green above 9000 feet mixed in with the russets and golds.” He notes that cottonwoods and willows seem to be progressing the same rate as last autumn.  Here are a couple of photos taken today above 9,000 feet.  To see all his photos, click on the link at left of his Facebook Gallery.