Last Drips of Color
Despite the occasional last drips of fall color, California is now largely past peak.
These images were taken on a foggy, wet morning, the kind that quickly transforms warm cotton blue jeans into sponges when bush whacking through foliage.
Most of the native color throughout the state has fallen, been blown away or is now rain-damaged by the storm that passed over the state this past weekend. Exotic, ornamental plants are providing the encore.
Wisteria seed pods, El Dorado Hills (12/14/20) John Poimiroo 
Wisteria, El Dorado Hills (12/14/20) John Poimiroo
Wisteria are among the last climbing exotics to turn. They’ve dropped their seed pods which explode loudly upon hitting the ground, ejecting their seeds as much as 20 feet away upon impact.
Hawthorne, El Dorado Hills (12/14/20) John Poimiroo 
Hawthorne, El Dorado Hills (12/14/20) John Poimiroo
Bright, red Hawthorne tree berries hang from bare branches in clusters of Christmas ornaments. The leaves long since fell and carpet the earth as they decay.
It’s now time for other ornaments to attract our attention, though Toyon and Pyracantha join Hawthorne in one last flush of seasonal color as winter approaches. There’s only a week to go until autumn is just a memory.
- El Dorado Hills (768′) – Past Peak, You Missed It.
Carmel Valley
Garland Ranch Regional Park in the Carmel Valley preserves cottonwood, alder, sycamore and willow woodlands along the Carmel River in the Upper Santa Lucia Mountains of the Central Coast.
Late to peak, this part of the Carmel Valley looks much like it has for millennia. Garland Ranch was the first acquisition of the Monterey Peninsula Park District and it reflects its venerable wildness in both riparian and savanna environments.
Sam Reeves sent these views of its idyllic scenes.
Garland Ranch Regional Park (12/10/20) Sam Reeves 
Garland Ranch Regional Park (12/10/20) Sam Reeves 
Garland Ranch Regional Park (12/10/20) Sam Reeves 
Garland Ranch Regional Park (12/10/20) Sam Reeves 
Garland Ranch Regional Park (12/10/20) Sam Reeves
Carmel River, Garland Ranch Regional Park (12/10/20) Sam Reeves 
Western sycamore, Garland Ranch Regional Park (12/10/20) Sam Reeves
- Garland Ranch Regional Park, Carmel Valley (400′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It!
Riot On The San Gabriel River
There’s a riot of color appearing along the San Gabriel River in San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, Steve Shinn reports.
Western sycamore, black cottonwood, blue elderberry, white alder, creek dogwood, Southern California black walnut and red, sandbar, shining and yellow willows are painting the banks of the stream with orange, yellow, lime, red and chartreuse foliage.
- San Gabriel River, San Gabriel Mountains National Monument (610′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Something to Crow About
When you are the last beautiful entry in a glorious parade, you have something to strut and crow about.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is that last entry. December is its peak. However, fall color has begun to rain upon the parade, as Past Peak approaches.
Throughout the arboretum, once-gloriously-colored trees are dropping their leaves. There is still beauty to be seen, for sure, but it is nearing its end.
South Africa Section, LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
Chinese pistache, LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
San Gabriel Mountains, South African section, LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
Chinese pistache (Sarah’s Radiance), LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough 
Gingko biloba, LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (12/10/20) Frank McDonough
Sarah’s Radiance Chinese pistache and gingko biloba retain the most color. Though, winter bloomers, such as South African red aloe, the happy trills of songbirds and sharp calls of peacocks are accenting the entertainment.
- LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia (171′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
Nearly Past Peak at Peters Canyon
Orange County was named for its citrus, not for its fall color. The south coast county is often the last to report and with little fall color. The best of it is found in the county’s regional parks where open space dominates.
Mark Hanning-Lee reports that willows and 76 varieties of meadow grasses are displaying autumn’s gold at Peters Canyon Regional Park in Irvine. They’re near peak, but the remaining winter deciduous color has peaked.
Peters Canyon Regional Park, Irvine (12/6/20) Mark Hanning-Lee 
Peters Canyon Regional Park, Irvine (12/6/20) Mark Hanning-Lee 
Peters Canyon Regional Park, Irvine (12/6/20) Mark Hanning-Lee 
Peters Canyon Regional Park, Irvine (12/6/20) Mark Hanning-Lee 
Peters Canyon Regional Park, Irvine (12/6/20) Mark Hanning-Lee
At peak, scattered Fremont and black cottonwood, western sycamore, blue elderberry, bigleaf maple, white alder, creek dogwood, Southern and Northern California black walnut, California and Velvet ash provide spots of fall color. Presently, the Lake Loop Trail is a wash of peak orange grasses and near peak willow.
- Peters Canyon Regional Park, Irvine (683′) – Near Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
Marin Coho Run Begins
The winter run of critically endangered Coho salmon is running late, the Turtle Island Restoration Network reports.
The largest run of coho salmon and steelhead trout to be seen occurs in Marin County along Lagunitas Creek, San Geronimo Creek, Olema Creek and several other tributaries. It continues through February with peak viewing now through January. Steelhead trout spawn later, ususally between January and March.
Some 300 to 700 of the salmon are expected to spawn this year, which is considered to be above average.
This winter’s run begins at Tomales Bay where the salmon enter freshwater streams. This year, however, the run is late as little rain has fallen. To see the salmon, visit the Leo T Cronin Salmon Viewing Area, operated by the Marin Municipal Water District in the town of Lagunitas.
Salmon can be seen spawning in the creek directly below the parking lot and at several locations upstream along fire road. For more information on seeing the coho salmon run, CLICK HERE.
- Coho Salmon Run, Marin County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Out With A Bang
Class is out, but not yet fall color at UC Berkeley where Vishal Mishra found it still popping along University Drive. He reports the Bay Area nearing the end of autumn color, though it’s going out with a bang.
Mariner Dr, Mountain View (12/5/20) Vishal Mishra 
San Veron Park, Mountain View (12/5/20) Vishal Mishra 
San Veron Park, Mountain View (12/5/20) Vishal Mishra 
San Veron Park, Mountain View (12/5/20) Vishal Mishra 
University Dr, UC Berkeley (12/5/20) Vishal Mishra 
San Veron Ave, Mountain View (12/5/20) Vishal Mishra
In Vishal’s hometown of Mountain View, neighborhoods along W. Middlefield Rd near San Veron Park remained full of yellow and orange color, this past weekend.
- Berkeley (171′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
- Mountain View – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
Forest of Nisene Marks
The Forest of Nisene Marks in Aptos is an example of forest regeneration.
Almost all of the redwood forest within the forest (south of Santa Cruz) “was clear-cut in a 40-year logging frenzy from 1883 to 1923,” explains California State Parks. “When the loggers left the Aptos Canyon, the forest began to heal itself; now, the scars grow fainter with each passing year. The Forest of Nisene Marks is a monument to forest regeneration and the future—it is a forest in a perpetual state of becoming.”
Bigleaf maple, The Forest of Nisene Marks SP, Aptos (12/4/20) Sam Reeves 
Aptos Creek, The Forest of Nisene Marks SP, Aptos (12/4/20) Sam Reeves 
The Forest of Nisene Marks SP, Aptos (12/4/20) Sam Reeves 
Bigleaf maple, The Forest of Nisene Marks SP, Aptos (12/4/20) Sam Reeves
On a “First Report” visit this week, Sam Reeves found “still plenty of maple action everywhere on Aptos Creek. The only challenge was the sun and shadows. It was difficult to get a maple in full view without a big contrast range, but I found one exception on Aptos Creek Road. A cloudy day would probably yield the best results.”
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park still retains fall color along both the road and the creek. Sam observes that because “the canyon is wind protected from the normal northwest flow, so it should be good for another week.”
- The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, Aptos (164′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
Just Keeps Rollin’
Fall color just keeps rollin’ along the American River.
Yesterday morning, Sacramento color spotter Steve Arita visited Hagan Community Park in Rancho Cordova expecting to find nothing along the American River. Instead, rich orange, gold and red lined its banks.
Peak color speckles the Sacramento area, though most urban forest color has now fallen.
Hagan Park, Rancho Cordova (12/5/20) Steve Arita 
American River, Rancho Cordova (12/5/20) Steve Arita 
Hagan Park, Rancho Cordova (12/5/20) Steve Arita
- American River, Sacramento (30′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
- Hagan Community Park, Rancho Cordova (72′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
Late Harvest
How sweet it is. The late harvest of fall color along the North Coast, that is.
David Laurence Sharp notes that just like a sweet Sauterne that is the last to be harvested, a boulevard of liquidambar (half way between Sebastopol and Graton along Hwy 116 in Sonoma County) takes “a long time … to change color completely. So, I wait and wait and wait. This year some of the trees had already lost some of their leaves.”
Vishal Mishra and Seema Bhatt spent the final days of November in the Napa Valley enjoying scenes of the autumn’s end, there.
Napa Valley (11/28/20) Vishal Mishra 
Napa Valley (11/28/20) Vishal Mishra 
Napa Valley (11/28/20) Vishal Mishra 
B Street, Arcata (12/5/20) Michelle Pontoni
Michelle and Ron Pontoni shadowed it along the streets of Arcata.
- Sonoma County (108′) – Past Peak, You Missed It.
- Napa Valley (253′) – Past Peak, You Missed It.
- Arcata (23′) – Past Peak, You Missed It.