Happy First Day of Fall!
September 22 marks the first day of autumn here, and it’s time to start watching for fall foliage in earnest. There are a few trees that have gotten a head start, like small maples and ornamental shrubs around town. But for the most part, as usual, the landscape around Blowing Rock is still green at this time. You can tell that the green is fading to warmer colors in some areas, and that’s where is color is likely to get started first. As always, the higher elevations show more consistent color before the areas below. So today, we headed south on the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Grandfather Mountain.
Along the way, Moses Cone Park and Julian Price Park were showing green. It wasn’t until the area around Green Mountain Overlook, about 8 miles away and 500 feet higher, that there was a more noticeable shift in hues. Here, you can see some young beech trees showing their bright yellow, and the barest peeks of color from trees on the ridge behind. Around the corner, some maples were showing red tips.
Blue Ridge Parkway at Green Mountain Overlook
Elevation 4134 feet
There are still a couple of weeks before color becomes more consistent in Blowing Rock, and we will begin our Daily Fall Photos on October 1. There will be another update or two before the dailies begin. In the meantime, check out this great list of tree species on the Blue Ridge Parkway, as well as their fall foliage colors from Virtual Blue Ridge.
Also, if you want to attend one of our great local Fall Festivals or one of the Colors of Grandfather walks at Grandfather Mountain, make plans now!