Chico’s Chinese Color
Growing throughout Chico in the Northern Sacramento Valley are hundreds of Chinese Pistache trees, pistachia chenensis, and their nut variety, pistachia vera.
That has happened due to the efforts of the Mendocino National Forest’s Genetic Resource Center, commonly known as the Chico Seed Orchard, where new plants from all over the world are observed as to how they will fare in this climate.
Chico Seed Orchard (11/3/19) Robert Kermen 
Chinese pistache, Chico (11/3/19) Robert Kermen
The result of all that experimentation has been to introduce farm products such as kiwis, almonds, cherries and pistachios to California agriculture.
It also has made Chico one of the most colorful urban forests in California.
The Chinese pistache is one of the most appreciated landscape trees because of its fluorescent fall color, its summer shade, hardiness and deep rooting, which means they don’t raise sidewalks like many other ornamental trees.
Chinese pistache are now at all stages of color throughout Chico, reports Chico area color spotter Robert Kermen. Though, he adds that this year is different – a common theme experienced not just in California, but nationwide – with deciduous plants showing fall color early, late and inconsistently.
In some areas, this has resulted in longer displays (e.g., Bishop Creek). In other areas, much abbreviated ones (e.g., June Lake Loop). That Chico’s Chinese Color now varies from Just Starting to Peak, indicates this could be a long-lasting show for Chico.
Currently, Chico’s urban forest, overall, is transitioning from Patchy to Near Peak with vibrant color appearing throughout the city’s downtown and along The Esplanade, a boulevard that is canopied with landmark trees (Chinese pistache, red maple, dogwood, Western Sycamore, various oaks and London plane trees).
A visit to Chico in autumn is a delight, particularly with stops to tour the Sierra Nevada Brewery, to dine in its excellent restaurant or any of Chico’s other first-rate restaurants, to drop into one of Chico’s exceptional art galleries or visit Orient and Flume Art Glass or to tour the Bidwell Mansion, home of one of California’s most respected pioneers.
Following a visit to Chico, head north seven miles on CA-99 to visit the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina where an 800-year-old Cistercian gothic monastic chapter house (a true architectural masterpiece) has been rebuilt to serve as the abbey’s church. Wine tasting is offered on weekends at the abbey winery.
- Chico (197′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
At Last, LA
When Frank McDonough of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens reports, we’re in the home stretch.
Fall Color in Arcadia is Just Starting, but early November combines late blooms and early change, as seen in Frank’s photographs.
It’s also a reminder that arboretums and botanical gardens throughout California are looking good.
Redbud, LA County Arboretum (11/2/19) Frank McDonough 
Floss silk, LA County Arboretum (11/2/19) Frank McDonough 
Floss silk, LA County Arboretum (11/2/19) Frank McDonough 
Freeman’s maple, LA County Arboretum (11/2/19) Frank McDonough 
Tupelo tree, LA County Arboretum (11/2/19) Frank McDonough
- LA County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, Arcadia (530′) – Just Starting (10-50%)
Dripping Down The Rivers
Fall color is dripping down the rivers through the central valley.
Color spotter Jim Adams provides a First Report from Knight’s Ferry where he attended the annual pumpkin roll to find riverside cottonwood and willows and walnut orchards at peak.
He reports that down the Stanislaus River in Oakdale, cottonwood and valley oak have yet to peak.
- Knights Ferry, Stanislaus River (213′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Yosemite Is Still At It
Yosemite National Park is a progressive peak.
It begins in the high country, with pockets of aspen and willows turning, then descends to Yosemite Valley and along the Wawona Road with bigleaf maple and dogwood providing a colorful blend of hot pink and cadmium yellow.
Then, orange black oak and golden cottonwood complete the show from the week before Halloween through the first two weeks of November.
Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/2/19) Clayton Peoples 
Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/2/19) Clayton Peoples 
Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/2/19) Clayton Peoples
Clayton Peoples was there yesterday (Nov. 2) to confirm that “Yosemite Valley is still sporting peak conditions.”
- Yosemite Valley (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Finding Gold in Rich Bar
It’s name speaks of its wealth … Rich Bar.
In the 1850s, Rich Bar in the Feather River Canyon attracted thousands of argonauts. Many never left. Gravemarkers, memorials and headstones tell a grim story of their fates.
Mining accident … drowned … illness … hanged for theft … murdered … stabbed … hanged for murder … accidental shooting … killed in duel … shot … gunshot suicide.
Plumas County color spotter Michael Beatley spent a day exploring his county’s historic places and came back with a few visual nuggets, though no real gold.
Rich Bar (11/2/19) Michael Beatley 
Rich Bar (11/2/19) Michael Beatley 
Rich Bar (11/2/19) Michael Beatley 
Rich Bar (11/2/19) Michael Beatley
He reports that the oak and dogwood are still golden. Union Pacific tracks pass near Rich Bar along the Feather River, for those who enjoy combining rail and fall color photography.
- Rich Bar, Plumas County (2,402′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
Decent Color Declines
“Decent color is getting hard to find,” wrote Philip Reedy of a scouting trip he took through Plumas County. “Most of the color is gone.”
N Fork Yuba River, Downieville (11/1/19) Philip Reedy 
Bassetts Station, CA-49 (11/1/19) Philip Reedy 
Belden, CA-70 (11/1/19) Philip Reedy 
La Porte Rd., Plumas County (11/1/19) Philip Reedy 
Sardine Lake, Plumas County (11/1/19) Philip Reedy
He was surprised, however, by the color surrounding Sardine Lake at 6,000′, from the black oak near Bassetts Station (CA-49) and enveloping the historic buildings at Kentucky Mine in Sierra City (now closed for the season).
N Fork Yuba River (11/1/19) Philip Reedy 
And, to show his ride also promotes what he does, Phil – who photographs fly fishing – sent this image of his license plate.
- Plumas County – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT.
Point Lobos Orange
It covers the trunks and branches of oaks and Monterey Cypress with an orange flocking.
Trentepohlia aurea is filamentous terrestrial green alga whose orange coloration comes from carotenoid pigments in its cells.
Susan Hanlon was visiting Point Lobos State Park on the Monterey Peninsula when she was impressed by its bold orange display.
Point Lobos is most famous for Trentepohlia, though the alga is commonly found in humid areas along the California coastline including the San Francisco Bay Areas, Great Britain and Ireland.
Although not technically an autumn color, it shares orange carotenoid pigments with autumn leaves.
FallClr
It’s the end of October. Time to put a new expiration sticker on the license plate and keep tabs of what color is peaking in the neighborhood (elev. 768′).
Oklahoma redbud, El Dorado Hills (10/24/19) John Poimiroo 
Red oak, El Dorado Hills (10/30/19) John Poimiroo 
Pacific dogwood, El Dorado Hills (10/30/19) John Poimiroo 
Strawberry tree, El Dorado Hills (10/30/19) John Poimiroo
Yup, it’s all good.
Silverwood Turns Gold
Silverwood Lake (10/30/19) Chien-Chang Kyle Chen 
Silverwood Lake (10/30/19) Chien-Chang Kyle Chen 
Silverwood Lake (10/30/19) Chien-Chang Kyle Chen 
Silverwood Lake (10/30/19) Chien-Chang Kyle Chen
Silverwood Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains is a great recreational destination, popular for water sports and for fishing rainbow trout, largemouth bass, striped bass, Channel catfish and bluegill.
Because the Silverwood Lake is lightly forested, it is not often reported for fall having much fall color. However, Silverwood’s cottonwood, oak and willows are now Near Peak to Peak.
The leading reason to head to Silverwood lake is its recreation, though for the moment, fall color will greet you warmly as it did color spotter Chien-Chang Kyle Chen, today.
- Silverwood Lake, San Bernardino Mountains (3,356′) Chien-Chang Kyle Chen – Near Peak to Peak (50-100%) GO NOW!
Caught and Released
Color spotter Lance Pifer lost track of how many of Yosemite’s wild rainbow trout he caught and released at 25.
Merced River, Yosemite NP (10/26/19) Lance Pifer 
Merced River, Yosemite NP (10/26/19) Lance Pifer 
Yosemite NP (10/26/19) Lance Pifer
The best place to net native rainbows is on the Merced River, below Yosemite Valley. A spot favored by park employees is the Cascade Creek picnic area above the Arch Rock entrance station. Walk downstream from the picnic area to find holes little fished by park visitors.
Lance was fishing on the South Fork of the Merced River, four miles upstream from the Wawona Hotel and Illilouette Creek which is a tributary of the Merced. He notes that some really big brown trout can be had on the south fork of the Merced above the main fork.
Other non-natives in the national park, include brook, golden and Lahontan cutthroat trout, but the rainbow are the only native trout.
Lance noted how amazing Yosemite was with color peaking and temperatures in the 80s. That’s changed since he visited. Daytime temperatures are now 40 degrees cooler.
Yosemite NP (10/26/19) Lance Pifer 
Half Dome, Yosemite NP (10/26/19) Lance Pifer 
Panoramic Trail, Yosemite NP (10/26/19) Lance Pifer 
Bigleaf maple, Yosemite NP (10/26/19) Lance Pifer
Best valley fall color is now found among the black oak at Cooks Meadow, near Yosemite Falls.
- Yosemite Valley (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!