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Orange and Black Hills

Spearfish Falls at Dawn, Black Hills, SD (9/27/21) Philip Reedy

South Dakota’s Black Hills are most famous as the home of four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

They are, of course, the four faces on Mt. Rushmore which is located in the Black Hills. But, if Philip Reedy has any influence, the Black Hills will also be famous for being orange.

Fall colors peak very predictably during the last week of September each year, Reedy wrote when he sent these photos, adding that “The Spearfish Visitors Bureau publishes a weekly color update, but nothing as complete as CaliforniaFallColor.com. They reported the color at 95% of peak on September 28 and I think these pictures will confirm that.

Spearfish Canyon, Black Hills, SD (9/30/21) Philip Reedy

“While most of the best colors are found along the 14-mile drive through Spearfish Canyon from the town of Spearfish in the north to Savoy in the south, great color can be found throughout the area, particularly along the many streams that flow from the hills such as Rapid Creek and Box Elder Creek. Between Savoy and Rapid City there are many beautiful aspen groves lining the pastures.

“There are roads weaving throughout the hills, and sometimes the best views are found by just cruising down a random byway. 

“One of the great things about the area is the lack of tourists in autumn.  There are no large cities close to the Black Hills, and after Labor Day, the throngs heading down I-90 toward Yellowstone have gone back home, leaving the area uncrowded,” Reedy reported.

Phil was there on assignment for American Fly Fishing and his photos of himself fishing attest to the beauty of the scene and his mastery of remotely shot self-portraits in a natural setting.

Nemo General Store Residents (10/1/21) Philip Reedy

At the Nemo General Store on the edge of the Paradise Valley dates back to the 1800s. Californian William Randolph Hearst, Jr once owned land nearby and logged it for his Homestead Mine in the 1870s. The store’s present owner is a cat lover and dozens of them are found lounging everywhere around the property, providing Reedy with an affluence of feline subjects for his fall photography.

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Glory, Glory Colorado

Gunsight Bridge, CO (9/21/21) Steve Arita

Autumnal change appears to be a week late, just about everywhere.

Gothic, CO (9/21/21) Steve Arita

Steve Arita spent three days in Crested Butte, Colorado this week and hoped to find Kebler Pass in full Glory. “Unfortunately, that was not the case,” Steve reported.

Uh, really Steve!? Colorado looks about as good as anything we’ve seen so far, this autumn.

Steve wrote that the only significant color to be seen was near the town of Gothic, six miles north of Crested Butte near a town called Gunsight.

Don’t you love names like that? Crested Butte, Gunsight, Gothic.

  • Crested Butte, CO (8,909′) – Patchy (10 – 50%)

The University of Colorado’s original Fight Song was to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. It went …

Colorado’s Varsity comes a marching on the field,

Colorado’s Varsity comes a marching on the field,

Colorado’s Varsity comes a marching on the field,

Colorado’s Bound to win!

Glory, Glory Colorado,

Glory, Glory Colorado,

Glory, Glory Colorado,

Hurrah to the Silver and Gold!

It takes a CU alumnus to know this or care. Go Buffs!
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The Bighorns

The Bighorn Mountains, WY (9/26/21) Philip Reedy

Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains are sacred land to the Crow people who have lived there for millennia. It’s easy to see why they so loved and worshiped this land.

In autumn, ancient aspen carry heavy loads of red, orange and golden leaves, as captured by Philip Reedy on a recent visit to Wyoming. He photographed these during his route north from Evanston to the Tetons, passing through Bridger-Teton NF and in the Bighorn mountains just west of Buffalo, WY. 

Between Evanston and Jackson, mountainsides were covered with aspen and crimson mountain maple.  Inside Grand Teton National Park, golden cottonwood populated the valley while cadmium yellow aspen clung to the mountainsides.

Snake River, Morning (9/25/21) Philip Reedy
Bison, Grand Teton NP (9/24/21) Philip Reedy
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Inyo NF to Reopen

Lake Sabrina, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/7/19) Anirudh Natekar

The USDA Forest Service reports that the Inyo National Forest will reopen on Thurs., Sept. 16. The forest had been scheduled to remain closed until Sept. 18 for public and firefighter safety and to concentrate USFS staff on fighting wildfires.

So, what does this mean for fall color viewing? Considering that Patchy color was reported at Virginia Lakes (9,819′) this past week and that Lake Sabrina is at 9,150′, it’s likely that Patchy color is appearing at the highest locations in Bishop Creek Canyon.

Stage II fire restrictions are still in place on the Inyo, meaning that no campfires are permitted, even in developed recreation sites. Visitors with a valid California Campfire permit may use a portable stove or lantern using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel. 

Additionally, wilderness permits will not be issued for areas where closures are in effect. Travelers are cautioned by the USDA Forest Service to know before they go where forests are closed, have un-contained or active fires or unhealthy air quality.

Some Forest Service lands will remain closed under local closure orders, such as areas of the Eldorado National Forest. As previously reported, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (northern Mono County) remains open.

In Southern California, Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernardino and Cleveland National Forests remain closed until Sept. 22, due to local weather and fire factors and the strain that opening them would place on firefighting resources.

At this point, more than 7,404 wildfires have burned over 2.25 million acres across California. The USDA Forest Service reports that its forests in Northern California are at Preparedness Level 5 and those in Southern California are at PL-4.

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What Burned?

Vermilion Grove, East Shore, Caples Lake (10/5/20) Philip Reedy

With 1,179,480 acres consumed by the Caldor and Dixie fires and all national forests closed in California through Sept. 17, you might conclude that lots of fall color was damaged. Yes and no.

El Dorado County’s Caldor fire (southwest of Lake Tahoe) burned through Grizzly Flats, along Mormon Emigrant Trail and toward Lake Tahoe, but it stopped short of the Hope Valley, sparing it. Fire maps indicate it came close to scorching Vermilion Grove (seen above) on the east shore of Caples Lake (Hwy 88), but no on-scene assessment has been received.

In Plumas County (Northern Sierra) the Dixie fire destroyed much of the forest, particularly the trees edging Hwy 89 north to Lake Almanor, along the Indian Valley and it incinerated Greenville.

The prime fall color viewing locations of Spanish Creek and Oakland Camp lie within the Dixie fire’s burn area, though no report has been received as to whether they were scorched or not, as the forest there remains closed. Indian rhubarb are a perennial riparian plant that should recover quickly.

Plumas County color spotter Jeff Luke Titcomb writes encouragingly, “As you travel to Lake Almanor you are subjected to the horrific images of fire but once there it isn’t visible anymore.Lake Almanor will continue to be a hub of tourism in the area, as Chester made it through pretty unscathed.The Eastern parts of Plumas are in pretty good condition considering all that we’ve been through.”

Black oak, CA-89, Crescent Mills (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Plumas County color spotter Michael Beatley reports that scenes like that above are gone. He says it’s, “Heartbreaking and heart wrenching to see so many of my favorite places gone. Rich Bar and the historic graveyard, gone. Indian Falls by the ancient maple tree I shot last year, gone. Indian Valley mountain sides blackened. Blessings are that Bucks Lake, Meadow Valley and Quincy were saved.”

While the Caldor and Dixie fires consumed vast areas of forest including several beautiful areas, numerous prime fall color viewing locations were not singed and there’s lots remaining to be enjoyed at Lake Almanor, one of California’s hidden gems.

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Forest Closures

To better provide public and firefighter safety, due to extreme fire conditions throughout California and strained firefighting resources throughout the country, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region is announcing a TEMPORARY CLOSURE of all National Forests in the Region.

This closure will be effective at August 31, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. through September 17, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.

North of Conway Summit, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is open. Just Starting color (yellow and lime) is seen at the Virginia Lakes in Mono County. Air quality is rated at 38 as of today.

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Why Don’t Evergreens Lose Their Leaves?

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Coastal Redwood, El Dorado Hills (9/7/17) John Poimiroo

Actually, they do.  It just doesn’t happen all at once, with few exceptions.

Evergreen trees have both broad leafs and needles. Madrone, magnolia and photinia are examples of broadleaved evergreens, while pine, fir, cedar, spruce, and redwood have needled leaves.

Evergreen needles can last anywhere from a year to 20 years, but eventually they are replaced by new leaves. When that happens, the old needles turn color and drop, but not all together and not as dramatically as deciduous trees (e.g., maple, oak, dogwood, alder, birch).

The reason needles are green is that they are full of chlorophyll which photosynthesizes sunlight into food for the tree. It also reflects green light waves, making the needles look green.

Needles, just like deciduous leaves, contain carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments. You just don’t see them until the green chlorophyll stops being produced. Once that happens, hidden carotenoids (yellow, orange and brown) emerge, as is seen in the above photograph.

Additionally, red, blue and purple Anthocyanins – produced in autumn from the combination of bright light and and excess sugars in the leaf cells – also emerge once the chlorophyll subsides.

Yes, even evergreen leaves change color… eventually.

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Fremont cottonwood and coastal redwood, Davis (9/16/20) Phillip Reedy

Evergreens that drop leaves at one time include the: Conifers Larch, Bald Cyprus and Dawn Redwood.

In snowy regions, evergreen trees are able to carry snow because the waxy coating on needles, along with their narrow shape, allows them to retain water better by keeping it from freezing inside (which would otherwise destroy the leaf).

Needles also prevent snow from weighing down and breaking branches. Finally, needles allow an evergreen tree to sustain the production (though slowed) of chlorophyll through winter. Whereas, broadleaved deciduous trees would be damaged if they kept producing chlorophyll and didn’t drop their leaves.

Evergreen trees do lose their leaves and the leaves do change color. It just isn’t as spectacular. 

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Why do Deciduous Trees Lose Their Leaves?

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Snowcreek (11/2/15) Alicia Vennos

It’s survival not just of the fittest, but of the wisest.

Deciduous trees drop their leaves in order to survive.  As days grow shorter and colder, deciduous trees shut down veins and capillaries (that carry water and nutrients) with a barrier of cells that form at the leaf’s stem.

Called “abscission” cells, the barrier prevents the leaf from being nourished. Eventually, like scissors, the abscission cells close the connection between leaf and branch and the leaf falls.

Had the leaves remained on branches, the leaves would have continued to drink and, once temperatures drop to freezing, the water in the tree’s veins would freeze, killing the tree.

Further, with leaves fallen, bare branches are able to carry what little snow collects on them, protecting them from being broken under the weight of the snow. So, by cutting off their food supply (leaves), deciduous trees survive winter.

The fallen leaves continue to benefit the tree through winter, spring and summer by creating a humus on the forest floor that insulates roots from winter cold and summer heat, collect dew and rainfall, and decompose to enrich the soil and nurture life.

It’s a cycle of survival, planned wisely. 

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The Science of Changing Leaves

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Is red a defensive color? (11/22/18 – El Dorado Hills) John Poimiroo

A couple of years ago, Smithsonian.com posted a time-lapse video of leaves transforming from chlorophyll-filled green to tones of yellow, red and brown. The video was accompanied by an article explaining how leaves change color and some misconceptions about the process.

The video was created by Owen Reiser, a mathematics and biology student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Reiser, Smithsonian.com reports, took 6,000 photos of leaves to weave the video together.

Leaves that change due to the loss of chlorophyl as a result of shorter days and fewer nutrients tend to turn orange or yellow. Though David Lee, Professor Emeritus of biological sciences at Florida International University and author of Nature’s Palette, The Science of Plant Color, says that many yellow and orange leaves do not change the same way as red leaves.

Lee states in a Smithsonian.com article that the breakdown of chlorophyll in leaves does reveal yellow and orange (carotenoids) hidden beneath, but that red (anthocyanin) pigments are produced within the leaves as they die.

There are two thoughts as to why this happens. One is that the red color is a defensive measure to make the plants appear unhealthy as the leaf dies, protecting the tree from plant-eating bugs and animals which are conditioned not to eat red foliage.

The other thought is that red is a form of photo protection. Horticulturist Bill Hoch, Smithsonian.com reports, believes red’s wavelength helps shield the leaf by absorbing excess light allowing the plant to more efficiently remove nitrogen from the proteins that are breaking down and send that nutrient back to tree limbs and roots, saving as much of it as possible before winter.

Whatever the cause, the result is spectacular and less than a month away from being seen in California.

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Why do Leaves Change Color?

Chlorophyll Molecule (Wikipedia)

Leaves on deciduous trees change color in autumn from green to various hues of lime, yellow, gold, orange, red and brown because of a combination of shorter days and colder temperatures.

Throughout spring and summer, green chlorophyll (which allows trees to absorb sunlight and produce nutrients) is made and replaced constantly.

However, as days grow shorter, “cells near the juncture of the leaf and stem divide rapidly but do not expand,” reports Accuweather.com. “This action of the cells form a layer called the abscission layer.

“The abscission layer blocks the transportation of materials from the leaf to the branch and from the roots to the leaves. As Chlorophyll is blocked from the leaves, it disappears completely from them.”

That’s when vivid yellow xanthophylls, orange carotenoids and, due to a different process, red and purple anthocyanins emerge.

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.

Yellow comes from Xanthophylls and Flavonols that reflect yellow light. Xanthophylls are compounds and Flavonols are proteins.  They’re what give egg yolks their color.

Though always present in the leaves, Carotenoids and Xanthophylls are not visible until Chlorophyll production slows.

Red comes from the Anthocyanin compound. It protects the leaf in autumn, prolonging its life. Anthocyanins are pigments manufactured from the sugars trapped in the leaf, giving term to the vernacular expression, “the leaves are sugaring up.”

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) some time during the last two weeks of September.

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