Meteorological Fall, Plus Why Leaves Change
Color spotter, Samantha Lindberg recently used the phrase “meteorological fall” and it peaked my interest. After doing a little research it seems the term refers to a season created by scientists (meteorologists). It begins September 1 and ends November 30, according to wane.com, because this is the time period that the general public associates with “fall.”
While the date of the actual autumn equinox changes every year, meteorological fall stays the same. The equinox arrives on September 22 in 2023 in California, but with cooler temperatures in the state this Labor Day Weekend, perhaps the scientists behind meteorological fall are on to something.
Either way, the reason leaves change color throughout the season stays the same. Blake Engelhardt with the US Forest Service explains.
“During the summer growing season the leaves are constantly producing chlorophyll, which gives them their green color,” she says. “In the fall, longer nights trigger the formation of the abscission layer.”
According to Engelhardt, this is basically a thickened layer of cells at the base of the leaf where it attaches to the stem that blocks the transport of water and sugar into the leaf.
“Thin, deciduous leaves won’t survive the freezing temperatures of winter, so there’s no reason to keep feeding them,” she adds. “Once chlorophyll synthesis stops, the green quickly disappears and other more persistent pigments become visible yellows, reds, purples.”
Yellow comes from Xanthophylls (compounds) and Flavonols (proteins) that reflect yellow light.
Orange is found in leaves with lots of beta-carotene, a compound that absorbs blue and green light and reflects yellow and red light, giving the leaves their orange color.
Red comes from the Anthocyanin compound.
The best fall color occurs when days are warm and nights are clear and cold. California’s cloudless skies and extreme range of elevations (sea level to 14,000′) provide ideal conditions for the development of consistently vivid fall color, as seen in these reports.
Peak fall color will begin appearing in the Eastern Sierra above 9,000 feet (you can drive right to it) during the last two weeks of September.
Upcoming Fall Events
In addition to fabulous fall colors, the season also offers up great events.
In Inyo County, the Blake Jones Trout Derby was rescheduled for Sept. 16 and the Millpond Music Festival is that same weekend: Sept. 15-17.
Sensorio
Large, commercial, holiday light displays have become very popular during late autumn and early winter. They are found in ball parks, arboreta, fair grounds, theme parks, neighborhoods, even a mountain resort. Though the most evocative of California’s landscape is Sensorio in Paso Robles.
Sacramento area color spotter Claudia Cram visited recently and shares these images. Created by artist Bruce Munro, Sensorio has two major features: the Field of Light which undulates over several acres of terrain with blooms of colored lights spreading around a foot path and the Light Towers, a tribute to Paso Robles’ wine country with 69 towers made from over 17,000 wine bottles that are illuminated by fiber optics and that respond to a musical score.
The Field of Light is best at dusk when oaks are silhouetted against the Paso Robles hills, though it is dramatic when glowing against the inky-black Central California sky.
Listed here (in date order) are several of California’s largest recurring holiday light displays. Entry fees apply to most, and some benefit charities.
- Sensorio, Paso Robles – Through Dec. 31
- Enchant, Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento – Through Jan. 1
- Winterfest, Great America, Santa Clara – Through Jan. 1
- Holiday in the Park, Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo – Through Jan. 1
- Illuminate SF, San Francisco – Through Jan. 1
- Holiday in the Park, Magic Mountain, Valencia – Through Jan. 1
- Imaginarium, CalExpo, Sacramento – Through Jan. 2
- Lightscape, LA County Arboretum, Acadia – Through Jan. 8
- World of Color, Disneyland, Anaheim – Through Jan. 8
- Christmas Celebration, Sea World, San Diego – Through Jan 8
- Festival of Lights, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens – Through Dec. 16
- Wildnights at the Living Desert, Palm Desert – Through Dec. 24
- Mission Inn Festival of Lights, Riverside – Through Jan. 4
- Stockton Lighted Boat Parade – Dec. 1
- Lighting of the Snowmen, Sonoma – Dec 1
- Christmas Tree Lane, Fresno – Dec. 1-25
- Capistrano Lights, San Juan Capistrano – Dec. 1 – Jan. 6
- Lighted Boat Parade, Morro Bay – Dec. 3
- Roaring Camp RR Holiday Lights Train, Santa Cruz – Dec. 3-4, 10-11, 17-23
- Boat Parade of Lights, Dana Point Harbor – Dec. 7-8, 14-15
- Snow Wonder and Holiday Boat Parade, Marina Del Rey – Dec. 8
- Parade of Lights at the Harbor, Santa Barbara – Dec. 9
- Harbour Boat Parade, Huntington Beach – Dec. 9 – 10
- Bay of Lights, San Diego – Dec. 9, 16
- Fisherman’s Wharf Lighted Boat Parade, San Francisco – Dec. 14
- Zoo Lights, San Francisco Zoo & Gardens -Dec. 14 – 30
- Night of Lights, Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes -Dec. 15
- Christmas Boat Parade, Newport Beach – Dec. 19 – 23
Night and Day
During this festive season, the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens is beautiful both night and day.
Nightly until Jan. 12, during its Moonlight Forest event, the LA County Arboretum is illuminated with colorful lanterns while sunlit days still hang heavy with the last of LA County’s autumn color.
Here’s some of the beauty to be enjoyed. Click to enlarge images.
-
Canada geese, Meadowbrook Section, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
Wedding pictures, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
Cotoneaster, gingko biloba, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
Liquidambar cultivars, Kallam Garden, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
Crepe myrtle, Bauer Lawn, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
Moonlight Forest, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
Moonlight Forest, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
Whale, Moonlight Forest, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough -
Moonlight Forest, LA County Arboretum (12/12/19) Frank McDonough
- LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Leafless Tree Identification
San Francisco’s Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) are “hedging bets,” this Sunday (love the pun), by leading a free walking tour of fall color remaining in San Francisco’s Mission District, regardless of predicted stormy weather.
Ben Carlson of FUF says the walk hopes to “catch the tail end of our fall colors, but on the other hand we’ll be talking about how to identify many of San Francisco’s most common deciduous species once they’ve lost their leaves altogether (looking for clues in twigs, bark, overall shape etc.).”
That’s a fascinating idea … a Leafless Tree Identification Tour. For me, it’s hard enough discerning one tree from another using their photographs, but take away the leaves? These FUF guys are good.
To participate, meet on Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. at 735 Dolores St. for the walk or CLICK HERE for more information.
Now, should you miss the walk, consider picking up a Green Christmas Tree from FUF. A $95 donation gets you a recyclable live tree to decorate. After the holidays, return the tree and it will be planted somewhere in San Francisco.
What’s pure fun about this program is that each tree has been given a name, not a number. In the above example, “Ester” (a fern pine, Afrocarpus gracilior) will be spending the holidays with her benefactor, then return to FUF to grace The City’s streets, thereafter.
For more about how to participate in this program and help green-up San Francisco’s urban forest, CLICK HERE.
- Presidio, San Francisco – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT. And while you’re there, donate and borrow a living Christmas Tree to improve San Francisco’s urban forest.
Nights of the Jack
California holds the world’s most amazing artistic events.
A sampling of the state’s best, include: the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Ferndale Kinetic Sculpture Race, Comic-Con San Diego, Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters, Ramona Pageant, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, South Lake Tahoe Snowglobe, Palm Springs Film Festival, Coachella Music Festival, Yosemite Bracebridge Dinner, and – in Autumn – Calabasas’ Nights of the Jack.
Nights of the Jack is an artistic display of jack o’ lanterns, all carved from real pumpkins, then lit on nights leading up to Halloween at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas.
Kathy Jonokuchi sent these images of this year’s displays, though this is one event you have to go see to believe.
Nevada City Peaks In Time For Victorian Fall Colors Tour
St. Canice Catholic Church, Nevada City (10/21/19) Robert Kermen St. Canice Catholic Church, Nevada City (10/21/19) Robert Kermen
On Saturday (Oct. 26), Nevada City will host its annual Victorian Fall Colors Tour. The tour includes stops at 15 locations where peak fall color promises to be seen.
Robert Kemen and Ravi Ranganathan visited Nevada City this past week and captured some of what’s in store.
- Nevada City (2,477′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Fall Events: Inyo County
In our series of reports on great fall events, we end where autumn begins … in the Eastern Sierra.
Inyo County is California’s dramatic backbone. It rises from the lowest point in North America (Death Valley, -282.2’) to the highest in the contiguous 48 states (Mt Whitney, +14,505’).
Because of that extreme elevation difference, fall color has been seen peaking in Inyo County from mid September to January. Prime peak, however, occurs up Eastern Sierra creek drainages from mid September through mid October.
U.S. 395 travels between Death Valley and Mt. Whitney through the Owens Valley. Along the route, the towns of Lone Pine, Independence, Big Pine and Bishop and their locales hold one-of-a-kind events that celebrate the region’s cultural and natural history.
Inyo County is a place made famous for its western films, towering mountains, high plains, cattle and sheep ranchers, mountaineers, anglers, wranglers, native people, scenic touring routes, food and zest for fun.
Follow US 395 and this list to combine fall color viewing, festivals and events, this autumn:
- Every Thursday – Bishop Paiute Community Market
- Sept. 6 and Oct. 4 – First Friday Markets. Downtown Bishop on Academy Street, between Main Street and Warren Street. Handcrafted items, crafters and artisans, local produce, kid crafts, wine tasting, food booths, local beer and distillery and local bands.
- Sept. 20 – 22 – Millpond Music Festival
- Sept. 27 – 29 – Pabanamanina Pow Wow
- Sept. 27 – 29 – Curley Fletcher’s Birthday Poetry Rendevous
- Oct. 4 – 6 – Fall Colors Classic Car Show
- Oct. 5 – Choo Choo Swap Meet, it’s like 100 yard sales in one location.
- Oct. 5 – John Wayne Grit Series, Alabama Hills Half Marathon & 10K
- Oct. 10 – 13 – Lone Pine Western Film Festival, this is Cannes, Montreal and Sundance for Westerns.
- Oct. 11 – 13 – VCMC Dual Sport Motorcycle Rally
- Oct. 19 – Downtown Bishop Chocolate Art Walk, delicious to the tongue and the eye.
Fall Events: Shasta Cascade
UpStateCA (the vast northeast corner of California, also known as the Shasta Cascade region) is California’s hidden gem.
In autumn, vibrant pockets of fall color brighten lakes, rivers and forests, which attract every type of outdoor recreation one can imagine. This is an outdoor paradise for anglers, hikers, boaters, photographers, RVers, backpackers, off-roaders, mountaineers, sightseers, hunters, wildlife viewers and anyone out for an adventure.
Twenty percent of California’s landmass is contained within the Shasta Cascade – an area the size of Connecticut – yet UpStateCA comprises less than a percent of the state’s population.
It’s an area the size of Connecticut with, Mt. Shasta, Lassen Peak, Shasta Lake, six national forests, 11 state and national parks and California’s most spectacular footbridge (Sundial Bridge), but with fewer people than live in Bakersfield.
Given all those outdoor wonders, the lucky few who reside in UpStateCA know how to celebrate, and they do so throughout Autumn at these events:
- Sept. 3 & 10 – Sunset Through the Trees Run
- Sept. 7 – Fashion Show Gala
- Sept. 7 – Shasta Renaissance and Fantasy Faire
- Sept. 14 – Family 2nd Saturday
- Sept. 14-15 – Balloonfest 2019
- Sept. 21 – Redding Beer and Wine Festival
- Sept. 27 – Best Sci-Fi International Film Festival at the Cascade
- Sept. 28 – Redding Fire Festival
- Sept. 28 – Oroville Salmon Festival
- Sept. 29-Oct. 13 – Riverfront Playhouse Frankenstein
- Oct. 5 – Manton Apple Festival
- Oct. 12 – Big Bike Weekend
- Oct. 12 – Lemurian Classic
- Oct. 12 – McCloud Harvest Festival
- Oct. 12 – Susanville Rails-To-Trails Festival
- Oct. 12 – Quincy Mountain Harvest Brewfest
- Oct. 12 – Trinity River Salmon Festival
- Oct. 13 – Burney Falls Heritage Day
- Oct. 18 – Think Pink Week
- Oct. 18 – Redding Roots Revival Festival
- Oct. 19 – Return of the Salmon Festival
- Oct. 19 – Sac River Trail Run
- Oct. 20 –Ron White at the Civic
- Oct. 30 – Viva MOMIX at the Cascade
- Nov. 1 – Roses and Rust Vintage Market
- Nov. 10 – SWITCHFOOT at the Civic
- Nov. 16 – Two Peaks Run
- Throughout Fall: Plumas County Barn Quilt Tour
Direct flights to the Shasta Cascade Visitors land daily in Redding, from San Francisco and LAX on United Airlines. By land, drive north on Interstate 5, east on CA-44 or west on CA-299 or ride Amtrak to Redding.
For an off-the-beaten-path experience where people celebrate nature in one of California’s most beautiful places, visit Redding and the Shasta Cascade.
Fall events: Mono County
Each autumn, events bring together opportunities to see fall color and have fun at inexpensive gatherings. They vary from car shows, to brewfests, to nature walks, to history talks, to photo and art classes, to runs, rides and banquets with local legends.
To help add some of this fun to your fall color wanderings, CaliforniaFallColor.com will be publishing lists of California’s best autumn events. We begin in the Eastern Sierra.
For those unfamiliar with Mono County, it’s from where the sun rises over Yosemite National Park.
Mono County is best known as home of Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain, June Lake and its famous loop, Tioga Pass, Mono Lake, Bodie Ghost Town State Historic Park, cattle rangeland that spreads across the Bridgeport Valley, the Owens River, Walker River and Antelope Valley, but it also has many precious surprises.
Mono County is reached by US 395, Monitor Pass (CA-89), Sonora Pass (CA-108) and Tioga Pass (CA-120E).
Fall color can be seen first near tree line (10,000′) at Rock Creek Lake by mid-Sept. Then, it descends at a rate of about 500′ a week, before it’s gone. During the show, these events add flavor and fun to a Mono County fall (Click bold titles for links):
- Sept/Oct. – Field Seminars by the Mono Lake Committee, including such topics as: fire ecology, geology, fall color, arborglyphs, watercolor painting and photography.
- Sept. 3 – Nov. 15 – Ambush at the Lake, a renowned fishing derby at Convict Lake, with Morrison’s Bonus Derby occurring Oct. 26 – 28.
- Sept. 6 – 8 – Graniteman Challenge, combine three athletic feats into what is considered to be one of the most challenging triathlons on Earth.
- Sept. 6 – Granite to Granite Swim, 2.4-mi on June Lake.
- Sept. 7 – Mammoth Gran Fondo, 102-mi bike ride.
- Sept. 8 – Tioga Pass Run, a 12.4-mi run up Tioga Pass.
- Sept. 6 – 8 – June Lake Jam Fest at Gull Lake, a jammin’ concert benefitting the Mono Arts Council.
- Sept. 20 – 21 – Mammoth Oktoberfest, beer, wine, family-friendly games and mouth-watering food.
- Sept. 21 – Bodie Hills Stewardship Day, by Friends of the Inyo. Give back with other outdoor enthusiasts at a volunteer project then celebrate your good work with new-found friends.
- Sept. 24 – 28 – Eastern Sierra ATV & UTV Jamboree in Coleville and Walker, ride your OHV on guided trail rides through gorgeous backcountry.
- Sept. 28 – Ridge Rambler Half Marathon in Twin Lakes. Run downhill from Twin Lakes (7,100′) to Bridgeport (6,600′), past alpine lakes and over rolling hills. End up at the Bridgeport Autumn Festival & Wrecks and Rods Car Show.
- Sept. 28 – 7th June Lake Autumn Beer Festival at Gull Lake. Brewers will present their craft brews in a music and fun-filled family-friendly beer garden.
- Sept. 28 – National Public Lands Day – Free admission to Yosemite National Park. Voluntourism projects.
- Sept. 28, Oct. 12 and Oct. 26 – Historic Benton Hot Springs Fundraising Dinners. History-focused dinner talks provide fascinating insights to: Scandalous Women of Benton, Restless Spirits of the Old Stone Store, and Warren Davis, Gentleman Horse Thief.
- Oct. 5 – 55th Deer Hunter BBQ. Dine with local legends on a legendary secret BBQ recipe with all the fixin’s and dessert at the Walker Community Center.
- Oct. 6 – Crowley Lake Trail Run. 5k, 10k and kids 1k trail runs along scenic Crowley Lake and past Beaver Cove and Crooked Creek with views of the Sierra Nevada and Glass Mountains.
- Oct. 10 – 13 – Mammoth Photo Festival. Learn from professional landscape photographers in panel sessions, keynote addresses and photo walks.
- Oct 12 – Bodie Fall Photo Day, apply for access to photograph Bodie Ghost Town at this special photographer’s event.
- Oct. 10 – 15 – Annett’s Mono Village Fall Fishing Derby. This is an ideal fishing event for kids and kids at heart.
- Oct. 12 – Ducks Unlimited Dinner in Bridgeport. Support waterfowl protection at an evening of camaraderie and good food.
- Oct. 18 – 20 – Leaves in the Loop at June Lake. A fall color focused festival that features photography and painting classes, contests, a history tour and “Taste of the Town,” restaurant sampling.
- Oct. 25 – 27 – Eastern Sierra History Conference at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory Page Center (10 mi south of Mammoth Lakes). Historian-led discussions on the people, cultures and traditions of the Eastern Sierra.