Across California, this weekend, fall color glowed between spurts of rainfall. The cloud cover intensified the color, which was particularly glorious among the urban forests of the Central Valley and Sierra foothills.
Mosaic, McConnell Arboretum and Gardens, Redding (file photo) John Poimiroo
Today, on “Farmer Fred” – a weekly gardening program on Sacramento’s KSTE-650 radio station – Dr. Warren G. Roberts, longtime superintendent of the UC Davis Arboretum, described the spectacle to be seen there, including the Smoke Tree with its ornate clusters of yellow to red to purple smokey blooms, purple raywood ash, flame red Chinese pistache, Roger’s Red – a California wild grape hybrid with bright orange-red leaves, Formosa flame tree with its brilliant red seed pods, native California Toyon – also called Christmas berry or holly for its crimson berries and dark green leaves – orange/scarlet Washington Hawthorne, golden-buff-colored Mexican feather grass, Greek madrone, autumn sage, and spectacular orange Christmas Cheer.
Botanical gardens provide concentrated and dependable viewing of fall color. Pick of the week: any of California’s great arboretums. Among them, we recommend:
Blake Garden, Kensington
Filoli, Woodside
Fullerton Arboretum
Huntington Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Japanese Friendship Garden, Kelley Park, San Jose
Los Angeles County Botantical Garden & Arboretum, Arcadia
Los Angeles Times travel writer Chris Erskine is the kind of guy you’d like to pal around with as he travels the backroads of California in his rented Ford. Erskine knows the backwater places where interesting characters tell fascinating stories.
That kind of traveled writer knows what’s genuine and intriguing. So, when he called and, with journalistic skepticism, said he planned to search for the color we describe in this blog, I worried he might miss it by leaving for the Eastern Sierra too late in the month and arriving after a storm had ruined what’s been glorious, so far. Sure enough, snow fell just before his trip.
A medium as influential as the LA Times could, with one disappointing experience, reinforce the belief that California doesn’t have great fall color. It’s easy to conclude, from our state’s tropical palm trees, sunglass-wearing celebrities and sun-drenched beaches, that California has only one season… summer. And, Los Angelenos (along with most Californians) live along the coast where (except in dazzling pockets) little fall color is seen. Even in his article, Erskine described this blog as containing “improbable postings.”
However, seeing is believing, and California didn’t disappoint. The spectacular fall color identified within this blog proved not to be inspired by delerium. Erskine described what he was seeing as “stunning” and “majestic” when he called from the road. The storm we fretted about hadn’t blown away the beauty. It only enhanced it, dusting High Sierra ranges with white, while firey red, orange and yellow reflected below upon “sapphire” waters.
San Jose Mercury News Travel Editor, Linda Zavoral has posted an article about finding fall color in California, with kind reference to this blog. To see the full article, buy a copy of the Mercury-News this Sunday. And, to read excerpts, CLICK HERE.
California Fall Color Facebook friends Larry and Debbie Trettin report that Chinese pistache are leading the color parade in Santa Rosa with reds, oranges and yellows appearing. They posted a photo on our FB site. You too can join the fall color parade by submitting photos and reports here, on Twitter (@califfallcolor) or by Friending us on Facebook.
Here’s video verification as to why California’s Eastern Sierra is one of the most beautiful places in America to see fall color. An oldie, but goodie.
Ginkgo trees are gold and bold in Redding, according to an article posted today by the Redding Record. The showy trees are described as, “Pretty, prehistoric and sometimes putrid…” “tough enough to withstand an atomic bomb; and old enough to be called living fossils.”
“The trees have quite a track record,” the Record reports, having “outlived the dinosaurs. Even an atomic bomb didn’t faze them. Several ginkgos survived the blast of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in World War II and are still living, notes the The Ginkgo Pages, a website devoted to ginkgo trees.”
Marie Stadther, lead gardener for Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, which has among its facilities the Mediterranean-focused McConnell Arboretum and Garden, praises the Ginkgo for its”deep roots” which make “them unlikely to pop walkways or crack patios the way shallow-rooted trees do.”
The ginkgo tree is the lone survivor of the ancient family Ginkgoaceae. Fossils of ginkgo leaves date back more than 250 million years, according to an Oregon Department of Forestry publication. It is thought to have once covered the globe, but then the ice age shrank the tree’s territory and the tree was thought to be extinct until 1691, according to the Record. There male and female ginkgos with female trees producing seeds with a yellow, fleshy exterior that drop in autumn and begin to ferment, giving off an offensive odor. “Because of the stench, there’s little demand for female trees,” the Record reports, “Places to see mature ginkgos in Redding include Oregon Street near the downtown post office, the Sundial Bridge parking lot and the northeast side of Shasta College’s theater building. And now is the time to take a look. Ginkgos are in their glory in autumn.”
KCET-TV blog editor-in-chief, Zach Behrens contacted us for our views on the best color spots in California. There are just too many, but given Zach’s limitation, we settled on seven general areas. To read the full report, CLICK HERE.
Sorenson’s Resort in the Hope Valley posted this video recently. It shows the intense color to be seen in weeks to come in the Sierra. With the snow behind us, scenes like this will be playing out this weekend in the Eastern Sierra along U.S. 395.
DogTrekker.com – the website for advice on where to travel with your dog in Northern California – lists U.S. 395 “right up there” with Highway 1 as one of California’s most scenic highways, and in autumn, there’s no competition. U.S. 395 is the color champion. In recent editions, DogTrekker has reported on where to travel with Fido. CLICK HERE for a link to those tips.
Additional tips come from color spotter Rachel Anderson of the Owens Valley who says that Bishop Creek Canyon offers many colorful dog-friendly trails. She recommends heading first to South Lake, Sabrina Lake, the Tyee Lakes and Intake 2 up the canyon. In a few weeks, look to the Bishop Canal System for walkable dirt roads beside canals and among colorful cottonwood in Bishop, Calif.
When taking your dog into the Inyo National Forest, be mindful to: leave disruptive dogs at home, keep dogs leashed (not more than six feet in length) when on trails, bed dogs inside enclosed vehicles or tents at night and bring not more than two dogs camping. Maps of hiking trails and walks in the forest are available at USFS Visitor Centers. A dog rest area is located at Bishop City Park.
DogTrekker, the email newsletter for northern Californians who seek advice on traveling with their dogs, recommends November as an ideal month for autumn walks with Rover. Today’s edition recommends trails in the East Bay, South Bay, along the newly completed Sacramento River Trail in Redding, along the South Yuba Independence Trail, and in Marin County at Fort Baker on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. We’ve seen fall color in each of those areas, but even if it isn’t showing when you’re walking your dog, it’s a good day anyway, because you’ve got your best friend with you!
This was posted on YouTube two weeks ago, but it shows some of the color seen then in this beautiful part of California. Jack Durst provides good information about the Hope Valley near Lake Tahoe, photographing fall color and how fall color develops.
