We officially said farewell to fall this week, but no one told the foliage at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden.
As of Thursday, Frank McDonough reported that things were “still looking gorgeous,” however impeding rain in area may change the landscape quickly.
Until then, enjoy these colors along with your holiday season.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden was peaking last weekend, according to color spotter and Botanical Information Consultant, Frank McDonough.
Go Now for a festive feast for the eyes!
Mark Harding captured some beautiful light at Malibu Creek State Park last week, as fall foliage begins to enjoy its golden hour in the area.
“The Coastal Sycamores are in various stage as we get fall pretty late down here,” he explained.
“I also included an Osprey with dinner at Malibu Lagoon. It was a pretty neat sight.”
A walk about in his neighborhood in Redlands had Michael Ponce giddy with color excitement.
Color remains in pockets such as these around the state. Get out and explore this weekend before Old Man Winter really takes hold!
If you’re in Southern California this weekend, the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is the place to go for fall color, which is just beginning to take off.
According to Botanical Information Consultant, Frank McDonough, things are at about 10-20% right now.
Even though it’s December, there is still fall color to find, if you know where to look.
Color spotter Zhibin Guan visited Lake Arrowhead this weekend and found plenty of beautiful colors along some of the streets near the lake, even though it is starting to head toward past peak.
Jim Van Matre visited Big Bear last weekend and reports that it is definitely past peak.
“There are still some colors, mostly on the south shore,” he said. These photos are from the Bluff Lake area on county road 2N10. Around the neighborhoods of Big Bear there are a lot of colorful planted exotic trees, but most of the native trees are fading.
Make plans to visit this location in 2024 for more fall foliage opportunities.
With Labor Day Weekend now behind us, fall is just a handful of sunsets away, as Peter Asco explains.
“On this sunset just before Labor Day, as I observe the angle of the sun’s rays, it’s golden hues, my skin refreshed by sporadic cool air waves, I know summer is ending, and I rejoice, certain fall has begun and Harvest Season is around the bend. Happy Labor Day.”
Q. What does the Botanical Information Consultant of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden do on his day off?
A. He looks at trees.
What Frank McDonough did this past weekend can only be described as a busman’s holiday. He hiked Sycamore Canyon in Whittier on a day off, and when he came upon magnificent examples of California wild grape (Vitis californica), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Southern California black walnut (Juglans californica), Frémont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), he had the presence of mind to photograph and share what he found.
For that, Frank earns a First Report for Sycamore Canyon and our thanks.
Sycamore Canyon is a 3.3-mile out-and-back trail with a gain of 331 feet. It’s considered to be an easy hike. McDonough reported peak fall color throughout much of the trail, making it California Fall Color’s Hike of the Week.
Today, I spoke with Soumya Karlamangla, California correspondent to The New York Times. She observed that Southern California’s autumn color seems more iridescent and apparent than in previous years. She noted seeing vibrant vineyards near Santa Barbara this past week and said several of her SoCal friends believe this autumn stands out from previous years for its brilliance. She asked if we have any explanation.
I replied that this autumn has benefitted from mild weather (few storms and light breezes) that allowed foliage to retain their fall color. Cool nights and warm days have also combined to intensify color change. This has been common statewide.
Presently, both Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area are showing beautiful color, as McDonough has illustrated in his photos of Sycamore Canyon and the LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia.
