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How Will Climate Change Affect Fall Color?

DNews offers its view of what’s happening to fall color, because of climate change.  Will it mean that pumpkin spice lattes will be a summer drink, in the future?

DNews reports that as a result of global warming, hardwood forests are moving north at a pace of 6.25 feet a year.  That means that in only 1.4 million years, there’ll be no fall color maples and birch left to see in the contiguous 48 U.S. states!

Learn all of DNews’ horrifying predictions by viewing this video:

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Seeing From A New Perspective

Little Walker Lake (10/19/14) Alicia Vennos

Little Walker Lake (10/19/14) Alicia Vennos

“This could be the best fall ever. Why not?,” Los Angeles Times columnist Chris Erskine poses, while musing over whether a splash of leftover coffee in his onions made them better.

His random tome challenges us to see life from a new perspective, and that autumn is the season that forces introspection.  CLICK HERE to read his column.

Look Who’s Talking

The Coast News

The Coast News

Autumnal change is making news across California, as numerous media have turned to CaliforniaFallColor.com for fall color updates.

Already, numerous reports and photographs have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, SFGate (San Francisco Chronicle), KLIV (San Jose), KNX (Los Angeles), KGO (San Francisco), KCRA-TV3 (Sacramento), Westways (So. Calif. AAA), Examiner.com, KNTV-TV11 (San Jose), KFBK (Sacramento), KGO-TV7 (San Francisco),  in countless reports by television meteorologists, even in small community news outlets like The Coast News (San Diego County).

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This Week in Plumas County by Mike Nellor

Mike Nellor shares this video taken off LaPorte Road near Quincy. Many of the best fall color trails are forest service dirt and gravel roads that lead from main roads in the Shasta Cascade.

Seen in the video are rosy dogwood and golden bigleaf maple.

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Big Bear’s Burnt Aspen to Recover, Beautifully

Aspen Grove, San Bernardino National Forest (10/12/13) Lisa Wilkerson-Willis

Aspen Grove, San Bernardino National Forest (10/12/13) Lisa Wilkerson-Willis

A grove of California Aspen near Big Bear in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, listed as one of only two naturally-occurring aspen groves in Southern California, will recover from this past year’s Summer’s Lake fire in a couple of years, according to a report in Big Bear Today.

The article quotes Steve Alarid of the USDA Forest Service who predicts that, “Aspens are going to dominate this area for the next 50 year,” because the entire forest was incinerated.

Alarid was quoted as saying that both pine and aspen have coexisted in Southern California since the Ice Age, “in deep canyons where cooler air settles…” and where there are, “…creeks flowing nearby.”

For the aspen, however, “shade” was their biggest enemy, but now that the surrounding pine forest was consumed, the aspen whose root system is intact will flourish.

Already, juvenile aspen stems are seen sticking up out of the charcoal forest floor at “Aspen Grove,” and that color will begin to reemerge in two years,”their green presence in the Moon-like landscape is a welcome reminder that popular Aspen Grove, closed for the next year or so after the inferno, will be back,” Alarid said.

Willows are also recovering quickly.  Big Bear Today reported that some willow shoots, “are six feet high already.”

 

Out&About in Westways

Out&About, Westways, October 2015

Out&About, Westways, October 2015

CaliforniaFallColor.com was contacted by the Auto Club of Southern California for advice on where to find fall color within an easy drive of Southern California.  The advice appeared in “Falling for Color,” an article in Westways’ October number.

Travel writer Paul Lasley got it right when he concluded the article by writing, “Fall color can happen fast in California and be spectacular — you just have to be ready.”

Westways, October 2015

Westways, October 2015

A Week of Photos In Review

North Lake (9/27/15) Elliott McCucken

North Lake (9/27/15) Elliot McCucken

North Lake (9/27/15) Elliott McCucken

North Lake (9/27/15) Elliot McCucken

Sunrise, Tioga Pass (9/30/15) Alena Nicholas

Sunrise, Tioga Pass (9/30/15) Alena Nicholas

 

So many photographers send great photos to share with CaliforniaFallColor.com readers, that we often don’t have time to post them.  Let’s make that up, today.

Anyone can send photos.  The best way to get your photos published is to email them to editor(at)californiafallcolor.com.

Photos should be large enough to post. 1,000k is best, though we can use photos down to about 250k.

The top five photos, each week, are (with the photographer’s permission) sent to media for placement on their websites on television (weather reports) and in newspapers.  This is a great way to get published and garner exposure from a major medium.  For these, we need high resolution shots (300 dpi).

We’re unable to promise to publish every photo, but when a photo is of a place we don’t see very often or is exceptional, we try our best to post it.

Here are some of the best photos received this past week from color spotters across California.  Enjoy.  We sure did.

AN-YosemiteValley-1

Dogwood, Yosemite Valley (10/1/15) Alena Nicholas

Bishop Creek (9/27/15) Elliott McCucken

Bishop Creek (9/27/15) Elliot McCucken

Blue Lake above Big Virginia Lake (9/27/15) Kevin Randick

Blue Lake above Big Virginia Lake (9/27/15) Kevin Lennox

Tioga Pass (10/1/15) Alena Nicholas

Tioga Pass (10/1/15) Alena Nicholas

Tioga Pass (10/1/15) Alena Nicholas

Tioga Pass (10/1/15) Alena Nicholas

Bishop Creek (9/27/15) Elliott McCucken

S. Fork Bishop Creek (9/27/15) Elliot McCucken

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Bloody Good

Blood Moon over Mt. Shasta (9/27/15) Cory Poole

Blood Moon over Mt. Shasta (9/27/15) Cory Poole

Cory Poole’s photograph of this past weekend’s eclipse of the moon over Mt. Shasta can only be described as “Bloody Good.”

Poole is a high school teacher who combines an eye for astronomy and landscapes in his photography.  Like many photographers who contribute their work to California Fall Color, he sells prints of his work. If you see any photographs on this site (including this bloody good image) of which you would like to buy a professionally printed reproduction, email editor(at)californiafallcolor.com and we’ll put you in touch with the photographer.

Dogwood, Plumas County (9/25/15) Jeff Titcomb

Dogwood, Plumas County (9/25/15) Jeff Titcomb

Indian Rhubarb, Feather River (9/25/15) Mike Nellor

Indian Rhubarb, Feather River (9/25/15) Mike Nellor

Other photographers providing work from the Shasta Cascade this week are Mike Nellor and Jeff Titcomb.

Mike captures the first coloration of Indian Rhubarb along a stream, while Jeff creates a still life of changing dogwood leaves.

Idaho Glows

Hailey, Idaho (9/17/15) Carol Waller

Hailey, Idaho (9/17/15) Carol Waller

OK, so Idaho is far afield from California.  Though, CaliforniaFallColor.com has, on occasion, reported about other beautiful places to see fall color. Hailey, Idaho is one of those places

Hailey, Idaho (9/17/15) Carol Waller

Hailey, Idaho (9/17/15) Carol Waller

Carol Waller, a color spotter and buddy from Hailey, sends these shots taken in her neighborhood.

Last Leaves of Autumn

Sugaring Season, Beth Orton

Sugaring Season, Beth Orton

Beth Orton sings Last Leaves of Autumn in her album, Sugaring Season. It is about love renewed like the cycle of autumn, winter, spring and summer.

Such a lovely thought deserves retelling.  Here’s what she wrote and sings:

Oh the leaves how they shimmer
Trees lift their skirts and they quiver
Gently they lay down
To the dirt and dust and ground

They lose their innocence to find it all over
Ain’t nothing missing, they’re just high on a feeling
All they need is believing, no reason will do

I’m hanging on like the last leaves of autumn
But I’m coming through like the first shoots of spring
I’m standing outside of space of time
And I’m healing
Believing

I’m ready for a first time feeling
Something I can believe in
I’m ready for a first time feeling
Awaken sleeping season

If ever that morning came again I’d take it
If ever that morning came again I’d be there
I have tried to live each day as a last
I have found life is long and I’ve gone and got a past
And it’s best to stand in the shelter of my love

I’m hanging on like the last leaves of autumn
But one ray of sun and I bleed into one
I would light up the sky in one burning mist of flame
If I could light up the sky in one blinding mist of flame…

I’m ready for a first time feeling
Something I could believe in
I’m ready for a first time feeling
Awaken sleeping season