{"id":39339,"date":"2023-09-21T16:40:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T20:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=39339"},"modified":"2023-09-25T12:38:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T16:38:37","slug":"maryland-fall-foliage-report-september-21-2023-autumn-colors-beginning-to-pop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2023\/09\/21\/maryland-fall-foliage-report-september-21-2023-autumn-colors-beginning-to-pop\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Fall Foliage Report – September 21, 2023 – Autumn Colors Beginning to Pop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fall<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u201cWhen summer gathers up her robes of glory, and, like a dream, glides away.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

– Sarah Helen Whitman<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Sideling

Photo of Sideling Hill State Park, by Ranger Kendra Bree.<\/p><\/div>\n

Most of Maryland\u2019s tree canopies are still vibrant green, but there are pops of color to be found, even in southern Maryland, one of the last regions to reveal fall color change.\u00a0 The western portion of our state remains very dry with drought conditions ranging from abnormally dry to moderate, but a system off the coastline promises to bring gusty winds and downpours over the weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Will this much needed rain benefit fall leaf change? According to Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forester Aaron Cook, this system \u201ccould help offset drought conditions but will likely not reverse the course on drought stress impacts to fall color from an entire growing season of drought conditions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Severe drought during the growing season tends to cause trees to turn color early and the colors to not last as long. Sometimes it can lead them to skip color all together, browning and falling before fall gets started, according to <\/span>Climate Central<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s too early to tell if this will be the case across Maryland this fall, but it is something to keep in mind as we explore changes in forest canopies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Western Maryland<\/h2>\n

Aaron Cook, Forester, Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area, <\/i><\/b>reports swift but fleeting changes in the western portion of our state:<\/span> \u201cThe cold front last weekend across Frederick and Washington counties brought breezy conditions and much needed soaking rain. The result was that a lot of color in the canopy fell to the ground, \u2019regreening\u2019 the treetops and joining those tree species that aren’t showing signs of drought and early fall color. The color has been pretty decent thus far but short-lived. It’s a strange start to fall foliage season.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Stand
\nPhoto of the Frederick Watershed by Grace Muller, Natural Resources Technician.<\/em><\/p>\n

Drought conditions continue to prevail, translating to marked differences in fall color this year, according to<\/span> Melissa Nash, a Forester in Garrett and Allegany counties. <\/b>\u201cHints of color are starting to appear in Garrett County. As expected with the overall dry summer, we are seeing more muted colors,\u201d Nash said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bright
\nPhoto of September foliage in Garrett County by Melissa Nash, Forester.<\/em><\/p>\n

Central Maryland<\/h2>\n

Known as the midpoint for experiencing fall\u2019s transition across Maryland, central Maryland is still mostly green, with the landscape holding on to summer as the first official day of fall approaches.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"All
\nPhoto of Patapsco Valley State Park by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.<\/em><\/p>\n

Northern Maryland<\/h2>\n

Shin Ae Gonzalez, Seasonal Park Ranger, <\/i><\/b>is seeing the effects of cooler, but not cold, temperatures in <\/span>Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area and Bohemia River State Park.<\/b> \u201cNighttime temps are still around 60 degrees, so we are getting only the tiniest touches of red. Hopefully in the next couple weeks we will have more variety of color,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dark
\nPhoto of Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area by Shin Ae Gonzalez, Seasonal Park Ranger.<\/em><\/p>\n

Southern Maryland<\/h2>\n

Chase Kolstron, Project Forester in Charles County<\/i><\/b>, reports:<\/span> \u201cStill mostly green in southern Maryland. Some species are starting to show a couple of signs of fall as well as dropping some leaves here and there, but I expect it to be a couple weeks before we start to see significant color changes. The lack of rainfall over the past few months may speed up this process, especially in oaks.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
\nPhoto of yellow poplar in La Plata, Charles County taken by Chase Kolstrom, Project Forester.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photos Sent in by Our Readers<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

A single yellow leaf announces the change of season along Little Hunting Creek in Swallow Falls State Park. – <\/span>Wayne W. Frederick Maryland.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Maryland resident <\/span>Rebecca F. in Allegany County<\/b><\/em> writes, <\/span>\u201cWe are definitely seeing fall colors emerge.
\nThis tree next to my house has been transitioning since mid-August! There may not be an explosion of color yet, but it\u2019s definitely beginning down George\u2019s Creek.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"a<\/a><\/p>\n

Brenda B. checked in from Prince George’s County in Southern Maryland<\/em><\/strong>. The drop in temperature has helped a couple trees to begin to change to their Fall wear at Cedarville State Forest in Brandywine, MD. As seen here, this early bird yellow leaf has landed safely on the path at the entrance of the Orange Trail.<\/p>\n

We welcome all of Maryland\u2019s outdoor enthusiasts to send in photos capturing the beauty of the fall season. Please use the <\/span>submission form <\/span><\/a>to submit your entries directly to us. Your photo might be selected to appear in a future edition of the Fall Foliage Report.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Fall Recreation Spotlight<\/h2>\n

Most Marylanders are familiar with our beautiful state parks, but far fewer have visited one of our <\/span>amazing state forests<\/span><\/a>. Fall is the perfect time of year to visit and with over 214,000 acres to explore, there\u2019s no shortage of leaf peeping opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The overlook at Green Ridge State Forest October 2022.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

One of Maryland\u2019s best kept secrets is Point Lookout Overlook at <\/span>Green Ridge State Forest<\/span><\/a> in Allegany County. Point Lookout is known for its spectacular view over the ancient Potomac River valley in Maryland\u2019s Ridge and Valley Province. Incidentally, Allegany County was recently ranked #2 in <\/span>USA Today\u2019s 10 Best List<\/span><\/a> of places to visit this fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Watch the Sky<\/h2>\n

Crisp and cool nights are perfect for stargazing, although with rain expected this weekend across much of the state, conditions will be less than ideal. On Saturday the September Equinox occurs. This is when the sun crosses the celestial equator – an imaginary line in the sky above Earth\u2019s equator – marking the first official day of fall for those living in the northern hemisphere. Also occurring on Saturday, Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system, <\/span>will be at the highest altitude in the morning sky<\/span><\/a>; the planet will be significantly easier to see in the days after it reaches the highest point. We look ahead – and forward – to the Harvest Moon on September 29.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen summer gathers up her robes of glory, and, like a dream, glides away.\u201d – Sarah Helen Whitman Most of Maryland\u2019s tree canopies are still vibrant green, but there are pops of color to be found, even in southern Maryland, one of the last regions to reveal fall color change.\u00a0 The western portion of our  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":180,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,1965,4998,23,12],"tags":[3379,5395,4825,4818,5310,3248,2974,3572,5396],"class_list":["post-39339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-maryland-forest-service","category-hiking","category-land","category-parks","tag-bohemia-river-state-park","tag-climate-central","tag-fair-hill-natural-resources-management-area","tag-fall-foliage","tag-fall-foliage-report","tag-green-ridge-state-forest","tag-patapsco-valley-state-park","tag-swallow-falls-state-park","tag-usa-today"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/180"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39339"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39409,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39339\/revisions\/39409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}