Whitney Portal Rd., Alabama Hills, Inyo County (11/15/17) Ursula Esser
Some years back, Japanese were asked what came to mind when they heard the word “California.”
You’d think it might be “Hollywood,” “Yosemite” or “Golden Gate Bridge,” but it was Oranges.
Associating orange with California certainly seems right on the first day of autumn. At least, that’s what the editor of Westways, AAA’s legendary SoCal Auto Club travel magazine, must have thought when headlining October’s story about California fall color, “Orange Crush.”
To read Westways‘ effervescent article, CLICK HERE.
While you’re at it, consider joining the auto club. They do a lot of good helping motorists who are out searching for fall color.
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (9/30/16) Elliot McGucken
California journalist Mike McPhate’s blog, California Sun, is one that tells the story of our great state. He oughta know.
For years, Mike was the California Today Newsletter correspondent for The New York Times.
Now, we all know that New Yorkers just don’t get us. And, their “national” newspaper (Hey, like the storied Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and other worthy contenders don’t count!?) does even less.
So, it was refreshing that they employed a guy like McPhate who really understood that not everything about the Golden State is what you see on Hollywood-produced reality TV.
He got it, and still does, that … Dude, Autumn happens here, too.
Each autumn, Mike would call to get California’s story. I imagine many a Manhattanite sat in their bathrobes by apartment windows, slippered feet resting on satin ottomons, as they read – incredulously – McPhate’s descriptions of what happens here during autumn. (OK, we might have our misperceptions about New Yorkers, too, but then they have The New Yorker to blame for that.).
It’s a wonder The New York Times kept him employed for so long, considering the heresy he espoused from his California roost. “Fall Color in California? You mean New England isn’t the only place that has it!?” Let’s put that into a West Coast perspective. To a San Franciscan, that’s as ridiculous as believing there’s culture in Chicago. Or worse, L.A.
With his publication of California Sun, Mike McPhate no longer needs to tempt fate within his audience, particularly when he illustrates this week’s number with Elliot McGucken’s glorious image of North Lake. Yes, autumn happens in California, too, dude.
To read California Sun’s take on the five best places to bask in California’s fall colors, CLICK HERE.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2018-09-20 12:13:562018-09-20 16:04:26Basking in The California Sun
In this week’s Travel section, Terry Gardner of The Los Angeles Times travel section reported California as a “good value proposition” for autumn trips, listing budget-conscious places to stay. To read the full report, CLICK HERE.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2018-09-19 16:11:092018-09-20 15:48:50LA Times Values Calif. Fall Travel
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2018-09-12 22:05:422018-09-12 22:06:13Signs That Autumn Is Almost Here
With more than 7,000 species of native plants in California, it’s easy to misidentify one. As a journalist, not a scientist, I’ve made more than a few wrong identifications on this site. Hopefully, few misidentifications are still posted here, though – admittedly – I come across one, now and then. When I do, I correct it.
However, when you combine California’s native species to the thousands of non-native (exotic) plants in our gardens, parks and cities, it’s easy to imagine the difficulty involved in reporting accurately 100% of the time.
In order to identify obscure plants, I’ve sent photos of them to naturalists, botanists and foresters who’ve then identified them, but that takes time. So, increasingly, I refer to books and sites for answers. Recent additions to my library are field guides published by Falcon Guides.
In a previous post, I referenced Dr. Eva Begley’s Plants of Northern California. It illustrates, through color photography and text, native plants that grow west of the Sierra Nevada. This area includes the north San Francisco Bay, North Coast, Klamath and Cascade Ranges, and the Sacramento Valley.
Trees, Falcon Pocket Guide
Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Falcon Guides
In the book, species are organized by color and family, and text describes their blooming period, elevation and habitat, plant characteristics, and other interesting facts. It is particularly useful in identifying flowering plants.
What has often bothered me about some field guides is that they’re written for scientists by scientists. So, common plants are often omitted, I suppose, because the author might think they’re so common that everyone must know what they are.
Dr. Begley did not make that mistake. Ordinary, as well as extraordinary plants are illustrated with sharp, colorful photographs and simple, direct and helpful text.
Falcon Guides even thought to print a ruler on the back cover, to help take the guesswork out of measuring blooms in the field and includes a glossary of terms (e.g., pinnate) that might otherwise be confusing to users.
Plants of Northern California has little within it to help in identifying deciduous trees or Sierra Nevada plants, though combine it with Falcon’s pocket guide Trees by Todd Telander and Sierra Nevada Wildflowers by Karen Wiese, and you have solid foundation of reference materials that will help you identify California plants when searching for California Fall Color.
Premiering tonight and continuing through summer, KCET airs six new video segments on its website, kcet.org/coastaltrail
The Web series explores the majestic California Coastal Trail; its past, its present and its future through historical narratives, camping and hiking guides, social media videos, and articles about important cultural points of interest along the Trail.
One new video per week will be posted on kcet.org/coastaltrail from July 6 to Aug. 3. The Web series will also be available on Roku and YouTube.
CALIFORNIA COASTAL TRAIL debuted three summers ago with the first year following the trail from San Diego to San Luis Obispo County. Then, in season two, it continued up the trail to Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Mateo.
Although there is little fall color to be enjoyed along the California Coastal Trail, we reasoned,
“What better way for fall color spotters to enjoy the outdoors and discover new areas of California in summer than exploring the California Coastal Trail?”
Partially funded by The California Coastal Commission, with support from Hilton Hotels, and presented in partnership with Rigler Creative, CALIFORNIA COASTAL TRAIL will share the state’s picturesque coastlines designed for a wide variety of audiences, including visiting tourists, casual vacationers and seasoned California outdoor enthusiasts.
This season’s segments head north passing through Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties while looking at spots along the coast like Pelican Bluffs, Noyo Headlands Park and the Humboldt Bay Trail.
The series will also travel to Crescent City, site of a deadly tsunami in 1964 and explore redwood restoration at Del Norte Redwoods State Park.
The series takes viewers to a mill site that was converted into a coastal park in Fort Bragg and MacKerricher State Park, home of the endangered Snowy Plover.
Here’s what’s planned:
Fri., July 6 – Pelican Bluffs
Fri., July 13 – Noyo Headlands Park
Fri., July 20 – Haul Road
Fri., July 27 – Humboldt Bay Trail
Fri., Aug. 3 – Del Norte Coast
Fri., Aug. 10 – Crescent City Harbor Trail
Join the conversation on social media using #myCAcoast.
Fallen Apples, Apple Hill (10/12/17) John Poimiroo
CaliforniaFallColor.com was awarded Best Outdoor Internet Site in the recent Outdoor Writers Association of California 2017 Craft Awards.
A photo of fallen apples shot at Apple Hill in Camino was also awarded a First Prize for Best Outdoor Feature Photograph and CaliforniaFallColor.com took Second Place honors as the Best Outdoor Medium in California.
Every contributor and reader shares in these honors by helping to make the site what it is.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2018-05-23 21:43:172018-09-10 17:40:51California Fall Color Is Named Best Internet Site
Papoose Pass, Davis Gulch and Sacramento Ditch are three new fall color locations identified by Shasta Cascade native plant experts in the latest issue of Enjoy magazine.
Laura Christman’s article leads off with the above photo of Brewer’s Oak (rarely published here), reinforces what we espouse about California Fall Color, then lists places to see great fall color up north. CLICK HERE to read it.
This morning, the 50,000 watts of KGO-AM810 (San Francisco) sent word of California Fall Color far and wide over travel broadcaster John Hamilton’s program “On The Go.” To hear the program, CLICK HERE.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2017-10-01 17:59:302017-10-01 17:59:30On The Go with John Hamilton
