Archive for year: 2010

Milder temperatures, more water and less wind have contributed to one of the most colorful autumns on record for Southern California, the Los Angeles Times posted on its online Living section, yesterday.  Reporter Roy Rivenburg found that with few Santana winds blowing their hot air across the southland, this autumn, more leaves were left on branches, and with more rain and cooler temps, those leaves have provided longer lasting color.  With four days left in Autumn, the show continues down south and is in its last moments up north, making 2010 a record year for autumn color in California.

CLICK HERE to read the article.

Impressed by this autumn’s long-lasting display of fall color, Los Angeles Times reporter Roy Rivenburg called yesterday to ask if this autumn is unusual for its duration.  It sure is.  The color arrived late just about everywhere across the state and generally has been spectacular throughout, with wet weather hardly shortening or lessening this year’s gorgeous display.

This past week, I spent several days in the Napa Valley and was impressed by the glowing displays of yellow, orange and red vineyards in the Carneros District, east of Napa, the beautiful fall color to be found among Downtown Napa’s historic Victorian mansions, and the bright yellow big leaf maple to be seen poking its flickering branches between oaks and evergreens at the Meadowood Resort east of St. Helena.

Photo of the Month on the Ventura County Trails website depicts fall color along the floor of the Upper Sycamore Canyon in Point Mugu State Park.  Color Spotter Grant Roden of Elk Meadow Cabins at Redwood National and State Parks says he’s been following Tweets from this group about the great and long-lasting fall color they’ve been seeing on their hikes throughout Southern California.

California’s urban forests continue to show impressively.  From the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden comes this video of fall color to be seen this December at the arboretum.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh0GBx9DyyE

A cornucopia of color among Napa's vines (File Photo) - John Poimiroo

The vibrant colors of autumn will be spread across dining room tables today, throughout California, as families and friends gather to commemorate their Thanksgiving Day.  The weather today will be clear and crisp… a good day to venture out bundled up for a cold autumn walk to enjoy the last glimpses of what has been a long-lasting fall color season.

California’s three-month display of fall color has now descended to sea level.  As, above 2,000 ft, particularly in Northern California, there’s a blanket of snow and ice.  Look for vibrant colors in Northern and Southern California city forests, the parks and landscaped boulevards that provide such varied displays of fall color.  Fall color showed a bit later and has been longer lasting than in the past two years.  The Napa and Sonoma County vineyards still have splashes of red, orange and yellow, though most of the autumn color has dropped.

So many varieties of colorful plants glow in this Mediterranean climate, that California has truly earned title as the having the longest-lasting and most diverse display of autumn color in America.  The display began even before the autumnal equinox, in the high reaches of the Eastern Sierra and has, since, descended at an approximate pace of dropping a thousand feet in elevation, since.  And so, unlike other areas of the country where if you weren’t there exactly when it turned, the color disappeared, in California color can be seen peaking at various elevations from mid September through mid December.

75% to Past Peak — Urban Forests.  Bold, orange persimmon fruit hang from their trees’ branches in urban and suburban gardens.  Liquidambar styraciflua put on their firey appearance.  Chinese pistache are largely past peak now, though an occasional specimen still carries its orange to yellow leaves.  The vines, wisteria and parthenocissus are turning soft yellow to blends of red, orange gold amidst the green, to provide the final flashes of color in this Golden State.

This blog marks the final official California Fall Color posting of 2010’s autumn.  We will likely add other occasional reports on California color, as they are received (such as our mid winter report on desert flowers), but like the autumn leaves, we’re now Past Peak.  Our thanks to all those California color spotters who reported color appearing in their area of California.  Please return to visit us again next autumn.  Happy Thanksgiving!

This weekend will bring the first major “winter” storm to California and although fall doesn’t end for another month (until December 21), the turn in temperatures and weather will make Thanksgiving Day week seem in the minds of many Californians, to mark the end of autumn.

This coming winter storm does not mean that incredible fall scenery will no longer be seen across the Golden State.  Just click on Michael Frye’s blog (to the left) and view his impressive photograph of black oak leaves peaking through snow, to see what I mean.  Autumn at this time of year requires special vision.  Give up looking for those bold splashes of red, orange and yellow against deep blue skies and find satisfaction instead in the subtle beauty to be found in the more muted colors of dying leaves reflected upon wet city streets, as that’s where the show has moved.

It’s past peak above 2,000′, but below that the color is still peaking, especially in California’s diverse urban forests… Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and in exotic pockets of urban Southern California.

So, enjoy the weekend storms and do not be discouraged by the elements.  There is wonder to be found where you least expect it.