Late Autumn Storms Pave Silicon Valley With Gold
As if the Silicon Valley wasn’t already paved with gold, late autumn is truly paving its streets with golden gingko leaves.
Silicon Valley color spotter Vishal Mishra sends these images of Gingko biloba littering the streets of Mountain View with gold.
Gingko biloba, Mountain View (12/5/19) Vishal Mishra 
Gingko biloba, Mountain View (12/5/19) Vishal Mishra 
Gingko biloba, Mountain View (12/5/19) Vishal Mishra
- Mountain View – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
Tujunga Canyon Gets Big
Big Tujunga Canyon is getting big above Sunland-Tujunga, reports Ken Lock.
The canyon is coursed by Big Tujunga Creek, a major Los Angeles County stream which drops from the upper San Gabriel Mountains to Big Tujunga Dam/Reservoir. Below the dam, the creek winds through the scenic canyon pictured here, then spills out of the mountains at Sunland-Tujunga and disappears into a San Fernando Valley aquifer.
Along the stream, a diverse riparian forest of winter deciduous trees flourishes, with Fremont and black cottonwood, western sycamore, bigleaf maple, blue elderberry, box elder, white alder, Southern California and Northern California black walnut, and velvet ash providing the color.
That diversity has painted the creek’s edges with green, lime, yellow and occasional spots of vermillion.
- Big Tujunga Canyon – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Leafless Tree Identification
San Francisco’s Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) are “hedging bets,” this Sunday (love the pun), by leading a free walking tour of fall color remaining in San Francisco’s Mission District, regardless of predicted stormy weather.
Ben Carlson of FUF says the walk hopes to “catch the tail end of our fall colors, but on the other hand we’ll be talking about how to identify many of San Francisco’s most common deciduous species once they’ve lost their leaves altogether (looking for clues in twigs, bark, overall shape etc.).”
That’s a fascinating idea … a Leafless Tree Identification Tour. For me, it’s hard enough discerning one tree from another using their photographs, but take away the leaves? These FUF guys are good.
To participate, meet on Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. at 735 Dolores St. for the walk or CLICK HERE for more information.
Now, should you miss the walk, consider picking up a Green Christmas Tree from FUF. A $95 donation gets you a recyclable live tree to decorate. After the holidays, return the tree and it will be planted somewhere in San Francisco.
What’s pure fun about this program is that each tree has been given a name, not a number. In the above example, “Ester” (a fern pine, Afrocarpus gracilior) will be spending the holidays with her benefactor, then return to FUF to grace The City’s streets, thereafter.
For more about how to participate in this program and help green-up San Francisco’s urban forest, CLICK HERE.
- Presidio, San Francisco – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT. And while you’re there, donate and borrow a living Christmas Tree to improve San Francisco’s urban forest.
Out of this World
Nicknamed “Kirk’s Rock” for the many times it appeared in early episodes of the television series Star Trek, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in Agua Dulce (between Santa Clarita and Palmdale) is virtually out of this world when it comes to dramatic beauty and late fall color.
Allison Hastings scores a First Report for sending back photos of the hike she took with her dog there, today.
Most of the color comes from native Fremont cottonwood and western sycamore. Also in the area are bigleaf maple, black and blue elderberry, white alder, Southern California black walnut, chokecherry, California ash and various willows.
Vasquez Rocks (12/5/19) Allison Hastings 
Vasquez Rocks (12/5/19) Allison Hastings 
Vasquez Rocks (12/5/19) Allison Hastings 
Vasquez Rocks (12/5/19) Allison Hastings 
Vasquez Rocks (12/5/19) Allison Hastings 
Vasquez Rocks (12/5/19) Allison Hastings 
Vasquez Rocks (12/5/19) Allison Hastings 
Vasquez Rocks (12/5/19) Allison Hastings
- Vasquez Rocks, Agua Dulce – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Capitol Color
Today was the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the State Capitol in Sacramento, though it wasn’t the only tree at Capitol Park that was lit up with color.
Steve Arita was there this week and sends these images of late peak color. Sacramento’s neighborhoods are now past peak, though spots of bright color – as seen in Capitol Park – can still be found in this city of trees.
Capitol Park, Sacramento (12/3/19) Steve Arita 
Capitol Park, Sacramento (12/3/19) Steve Arita 
Capitol Park, Sacramento (12/3/19) Steve Arita 
Capitol Park, Sacramento (12/3/19) Steve Arita 
Capitol Park, Sacramento (12/3/19) Steve Arita
- Capitol Park, Sacramento – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
LA County Arboretum Near Peak
Native and exotic trees are near peak at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, dressing its grounds with red, orange, yellow and chartreuse.
Los Angeles County has a long peak, from mid November to mid December, though it is specific to a few national forest drainages and to urban forests with concentrated areas of deciduous non-native foliage.
Arboretums and gardens are the best locations in LA County to see peak fall color right now, including the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, Descanso Gardens in La Canada-Flintridge, the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino and the South Coast Botanic Gardens in Palos Verdos Peninsula.
Two of these gardens add illuminated displays during the holidays. The LA County Arboretum in Arcadia hosts Moonlight Forest, a nighttime display of colorful lanterns (seen in some of these images). And, Descanso Gardens in La Canada-Flintridge hosts the Enchanted Forest of Lights in which trees are flooded with dramatic, colorful lighting.
Click to enlarge photos.
Tallac Knoll, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Chinese N American Collection (l), Kallam Garden (r), LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Kallam Garden, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Fallen leaves, Meadowbrook Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Liquidambar, Meadowbrook Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
California grape, Tule Pond, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Crepe myrtle, Main Entrance, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Dawn redwood, Historic Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Bald cypress, Historic Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Gingko biloba, Historic Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Crepe myrtle, Historic Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Liquidambar, Tallac Knoll, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Gingko biloba (l), Horse chestnut (r), Chinese N. American Collection, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Kallam Garden, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Gingko biloba, Meadowbrook Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Chinese tallow, Meadowbrook Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Chestnut, Meadowbrook Section, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
American Elm, Crescent Garden, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough 
Freeman’s maple (pink), Celebration Lawn, LA County Arboretum (12/4/19) Frank McDonough
- LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia – Near Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Just Ducky
A brief break in the weather on Orange Friday allowed Steve Arita to capture shots of ducks in flight at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.
Steve reported that “while cloudy, enough sun made it through,” and soon after he’d arrived and set up on the observation deck near the reserve entrance, the ducks took to the air, spooked by a bald eagle that had just taken flight.
American Widgeon drake, Colusa NWR (11/29/19) Steve Arita 
Black-necked Stilt, Colusa NWR (11/29/19) Steve Arita
Steve shot using a Lumix G9 with Lumix/Leica 100-400 mm zoom. He says that while the lens isn’t the sharpest, he likes the camera’s compact, easy-to-handle size, and Lumix’s “Dual-IS” (image stabilization) has the body work in tandem with the lens to stabilize the image, useful when taking handheld photos of birds.
When shooting wild birds with a long lens (over 300mm), it is helpful to mount the camera to a gimbal head on a sturdy tripod. That allows the photographer to track flying birds while staying steady. Also useful is to set the camera to Manual mode at f8 and with a shutter speed of 1/2000th. Then, adjust the ISO until the meter is balanced.
Of the various places to photograph migratory birds at Colusa NWR – other than perhaps one of the reserve’s photography blinds – the observation deck near the reserve entrance is a superb location. A large pond just beyond the deck is a favorite spot for ducks to roost and geese to feed.
Various geese, duck, shorebirds, egrets, turkey vultures and heron roost there from autumn to February. In springtime, Wood ducks are best photographed from the blinds.
What mystifies many of the photographers and birders at the refuge is that the geese and ducks are able to identify predators at great distances. Waterfowl will rise in a loud, confusing mass of flapping wings when a hawk or eagle approaches, even though it may be barely identifiable to the human eye, but don’t budge when other birds or carrion fly over.
SoCal: As The Crow Flies
“As the crow flies,” Kathy Jonokuchi reports, “Peter Strauss Ranch is a few miles west … from Paramount Ranch” in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Peter Strauss Ranch was another of the areas burned during last year’s Woolsey Fire and is still closed to the public.
Named after actor Peter Strauss who lived on the ranch, then sold it to the National Park Service. The property been a site for relaxation and recreation for nearly a century.
Triunfo Creek, a seasonal stream on the ranch is home to Western sycamore and coastal live oak, both of which have recovered from the fire, Kathy reports.
California quail, Peter Strauss Ranch, SMMNRA (11/25/19) Kathy Jonokuchi 
Nanday conures, Peter Strauss Ranch, SMMNRA (11/25/19) Kathy Jonokuchi 
Western sycamore, Peter Strauss Ranch, SMMNRA (11/25/19) Kathy Jonokuchi
Fall color there is now past peak, though Nanday conures were feeding on sycamore seed pods and a large flock of California Quail foraged the ground for scattered seeds, beneath the black-hooded parakeets.
Elsewhere in Los Angeles County, Ken Lock found Fremont cottonwood to be peaking along the Big Tujunga River. He noted that while autumn has ended elsewhere in California, several locales in Southern California are still prime.
- Angeles National Forest – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Cottonwood.
Orange Friday
There are three ways to spend the Friday following Thanksgiving Day:
- Stand in line waiting to purchase stuff that will soon be forgotten,
- Sit at home watching football games or
- See the last bright splashes of fall color with friends and family.
My Orange Friday will be spent outside with friends and family, reveling in the moment when autumn brings us together.
Giving Thanks and Looking Back at 2019
On this Thanksgiving Day, CaliforniaFallColor.com is thankful to the many color spotters and photographers who contributed reports, photographs and videos in 2019.
They include (from first leaf): Jeff Simpson, Martha Fletcher, Robert Kermen, Bob Simms, Lori Quillen, Julie Kirby, Donna Mercer, Dakota Snider, Jeff Luke Titcomb, Michael Beatley, Jared Smith, Anirudh Natekar, Michelle Pontoni, Justin Legge, John Ehrenfeld, Aaron Thom, Philip Reedy, Suzanne Kovacs, Mike Schaper, Alena Nicholas, Trent Vierra, Kathy Jonokuchi, Leor Pantilat, Dylan Ren, Dan Rastler, Ryan Boyd, Gigi de Jong, Laura Jean, Mark Harding, Elliot McGucken, Steve Shinn, Alicia Vennos, Liz Grans, Ann Hale-Smith, Clayton Peoples, Logan Alexander, Terry Willard, Kurt Lawson, Risa Wyatt, Jeri Rangel, Chien-Chang Kyle Chen, Fares Alti, Kent Gordon, Lance Pifer, Walt Gabler, Laura Christman, Gene Miller, Dan Varvais, Ravi Ranganathan, Jun Hong, Kathleen DiGregorio, Steve Arita, Roger Zhang, Mel Fechter, Shanda Ochs, Dan Mata, Gabriel Leete, Max Forster, Benjamin Vu, Son Nguyen, Vishal Mishra, Bea Ahbeck, Niven Le, Mark Hanning-Lee, Frank McDonough, Chance Gordon, Charles Hooker, Jim Adams, Susan Hanlon, Gillian Espinosa, Melani Clark, Mike Caffey, Anson Davalos, Deepa Yvaraj, Allison Hastings, Ben Carlson, Mohammed Hossain, John Jackson and Ron Tyler, who produced the above video.
Special thanks are expressed to Inyo County Tourism, Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, Mono County Tourism, Mammoth Lakes Tourism, Redding Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association for underwriting California Fall Color, and to the many reporters and media who carried our reports and gave attention to what we have shown about California’s fall color.
If we missed you, please know it wasn’t intentional. We are truly indebted to every contributor.
Of course, this list is incomplete without mentioning my wife, Joan, who has driven the car and pulled it to the shoulder so that I could jump out to photograph particularly beautiful locations; humored my recording of color percentages, species and elevations; pointed out spectacular color; and tolerated my exuberance in showing her countless stunning photographs taken by our contributors.
Of course, our deepest thanks go to the many tens of thousands of people who have read, followed, reacted and commented here and on our social media pages. You are, after all, the reason we do this.
Above is our video impression of autumn in California, this year. We produce a new video each autumn. To see them all, CLICK HERE.
The photographs selected for this year’s video represent: what happened this autumn, the extent and diversity of fall color across the state, and some of the finest photographs taken in 2019.
If you would like your photographs considered for inclusion in next autumn’s video, submit “horizontal” pictures of fall color taken in places not often photographed. As competition is stiffest among pictures taken at the most photographed destinations.
Autumn doesn’t end today. It continues for nearly a month longer. We’ll continue to post photos and reports, as received. Though today, we begin to dial back reports and will post them less frequently. We’ve also stopped sending weekly reports to meteorologists, travel and outdoor writers.
So, enjoy your Thanksgiving Day and plan an Orange Friday of fall color spotting, tomorrow.
See you next autumn, dude.
California – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – In our hearts, California is always peaking.