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Autumn in the United States

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Missy
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« on: November 13, 2011, 12:04:01 am »

Autumn in the United States

Where Did Fall Color Go? Predicting Foliage's Final Hideouts

Scientific guide to late-season leaf peeping.


Fall colors show through fresh snow at a scenic overlook in Maryland in late October.

Photograph by Travis S. Pratt, News-Post/AP

Brian Handwerk

for National Geographic News

November 4, 2011

It's not too late to leaf peep. The Halloween blizzard may have killed off leaf-peeping season early in many spots, but elsewhere fall foliage may burn brightly into November. Find out where and why.

When it comes to the timing of autumn color in different North American locations, the major factor is dwindling daylight, said Mike Pigott, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather in State College, Pennsylvania.

"It's mainly a product of shorter days and longer nights that begin to shut down photosynthesis," Pigott said. "At the northern latitudes you have noticeably shorter days in the fall versus the South. So that's the primary reason why, as a rule of thumb, the further south you are the later the leaves will change color."

 
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Missy
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« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2011, 12:05:35 am »



This pattern creates a colorful wave that begins in the North and rolls like a tide southward through North America—though temperature differences at higher elevations mean some southern mountains keep schedules that are more like their northern neighbors'.

(Soil moisture, temperature—and a few mysterious factors—are also involved in fall foliage. Read "Why Do Fall Leaves Change Color?")

Where the Leaves Are

Historical data suggest an early November foliage peak across a belt of the southeastern U.S., stretching from Arkansas through Georgia to the western Carolinas. Mitch Cohen, interpretative manager at Georgia's Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, said that's holding true this year, and there's still good fall color at the southern end of the Appalachian mountain chain.

"The color at higher elevations has peaked, but we've been having very good color at the mid-elevations," Cohen said. "This week the lower elevations here on the southern edge of the mountains are really going to be at peak."

(Quiz: Do You Know the U.S. South?)
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Missy
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« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2011, 12:06:05 am »

Farther west, Arkansas leaf peepers are currently reporting a banner year for vibrant oaks, hickories, and other species across much of the state. Arkansas's official foliage update shows plenty of areas approaching peak colors this week.

The Ozark National Forest in northern Arkansas is at near-peak conditions, while Hot Springs and other central Arkansas spots are still building toward their best color, which is expected soon. In southeastern Arkansas, the season will linger a bit longer, as understory species like sumac and dogwood are turning bright golden colors and are expected peak around the weekend of November 11-13.

(Related: "Road Trip: The Ozarks, Arkansas.")

Go West?

Late leaf peeping opportunities still exist in the western U.S. as well, from California north through the Pacific Northwest. One hot spot right now is the Umatilla National Forest, which stretches through the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington.

Forest spokesperson Joanie Bosworth said the colors are arriving just in time to welcome peepers.

"The needles of our western larch or tamarack are turning a bright golden hue, while the huckleberries and ninebarks are creating these clumps of red and orange across the forest." The riverbeds and drainages are also filled with colorful cottonwoods, she added.

(Quiz: Do You Know the U.S. West?)

In the Midwest volunteer leaf-peepers on the Foliage Network suggest there's still last-minute foliage to be seen in western Ohio, southern Michigan, and along the Wisconsin shoreline of Lake Michigan.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/travelnews/2011/11/111102-fall-foliage-autumn-science-travel-nation-leaves/
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Missy
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« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2011, 12:06:20 am »

The mid-Atlantic traditionally boasts some late-peaking places too—but Mother Nature threw many of them a curveball last week. Some parts of southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware are nearing peak foliage conditions. But while color abounds in some spots, others were wiped clean by last weekend's Halloween snowstorm.

Virginia reports plenty of color, even in the mountainous Shenandoah Valley. There, most of the summits are now past peak, but the scenic valley floors are still draped in their fall hues. The state's Piedmont region will peak soon, and colors won't be at their best in the coastal-plain region until the middle of the month.

Neighboring Maryland is reporting a similar fall foliage status. While most of the leaves are past their prime in the western part of the state, this week should still see good color in the central Tidewater regions and out on the upper part of Maryland's Eastern Shore.
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Missy
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« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2011, 12:07:45 am »



Japanese Maple, North Carolina

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

The lacy leaves and wandering branches of a Japanese maple lend drama to the grounds of the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina. Built in 1895 by George Washington Vanderbilt, the Biltmore is the largest private residence in the United States and includes more than 75 acres (30 hectares) of manicured gardens
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Missy
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« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2011, 12:08:42 am »



Grizzly, Alaska

Photograph by Alaska Stock Images

Autumn paints the valleys of Denali National Park in Alaska, home to more than 650 species of flowering plants—and many animal species. Fall brings changing patterns of color and motion to much of the United States, which covers lands from the tropics to the Arctic.
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Missy
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« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2011, 12:10:02 am »



Maple Tree, Utah

Photograph by Tim Fitzharris/Minden Pictures

Red maple leaves and gold on a cottonwood announce the arrival of fall in the pink sandstone canyons of Zion National Park in Utah. Both tree species hug water sources in this arid land of high plateaus and rock towers.
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Missy
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« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2011, 12:10:35 am »



Eagle Lake, Maine

Photograph by Tim Fitzharris/Minden Pictures

Autumn’s grandeur spreads across Eagle Lake on Mount Desert Island, one of several coastal islands that make up Acadia National Park in Maine. Eagle Lake, which supplies water to nearby Bar Harbor, is deep, clear, and relatively free of plant life.
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Missy
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« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2011, 12:14:57 am »



Aspen Trees, Colorado

Photograph by Carr Clifton/Minden Pictures

Quaking aspens like these in the Elk Mountains of western Colorado, whose leaves tremble in the slightest wind, are common across North America. Known for tolerating poor soils and cold climates, aspens flash yellow against their white bark in an unmistakable sign of coming winter.
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Missy
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« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2011, 12:15:47 am »



Marcellina Mountain, Colorado

Photograph by Tim Fitzharris/Minden Pictures

Colorado’s Raggeds Wilderness—named for peaks like Marcellina Mountain—turns to gold in autumn. The wilderness covers nearly 65,000 acres (26,000 hectares) of the White River and Gunnison National Forests. It includes some of the world’s largest stands of fast-growing aspen trees, which can gain 5 feet (1.5 meters) in a year.
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Missy
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« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2011, 12:16:25 am »



Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

Photograph by Medford Taylor

Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is ablaze with fall colors—the yellow and orange of poplars, birches, striped maples, and hickories, punctuated with the red of sugar and red maples. The valley runs 200 miles (300 kilometers) across the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. Barn and field echo the nickname given to the valley during the Civil War—Breadbasket of the Confederacy.
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Missy
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« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2011, 12:17:11 am »



Denali State Park, Alaska

Photograph by Alaska Stock Images

Hikers in Denali State Park, just east of the national park, take in awe-inspiring views of the Alaska Range. They follow Little Coal Creek Trail through alpine meadows overlooking a river bright with glacial silt.
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Missy
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« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2011, 12:17:56 am »



Central Park, New York

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

Autumn softens this aerial view of New York City’s Central Park, the first public park built in the U.S. With roughly 25 million visitors each year, it is also the most frequented park. Yet the park's 843 acres (341 hectares), seven bodies of water, and more than 30 bridges and arches offer a vital sense of calm and space in the city that never sleeps.
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Missy
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« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2011, 12:18:35 am »



Portland, Maine

Photograph by Bill Curtsinger

Autumn winds stop a girl on a sidewalk in Portland, Maine. The leaves that surround her are from maples, oaks, and dozens of other species, the result of an aggressive tree-planting program in the 1970s. Long called the “Forest City,” Portland maintains at least 20,000 trees today, including about a hundred elm trees that survived a 1960s outbreak of Dutch Elm disease.
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« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2011, 12:19:11 am »

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/autumn-united-states-photos/?source=newstravel_travel#/autumn-girl-sidewalk_3300_600x450.jpg

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/patagonia-photos/
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