Fall Color l Fall Fishing

2011 Fall Color Reports

Welcome to fall in North Carolina

Here, it’s not about when you’ll find the most vibrant autumn color, but where. That’s because our brilliant annual show of reds, oranges and golds takes its time, starting at our highest elevations such as Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain in early October and meandering down through mountains and into the foothills into November.

Enjoy color outside the lines this fall in North Carolina. We hope you’ll share your pictures and experiences with us on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.

November 16th Weekly Report - Piedmont

Dick Thomas, reporter

Leaves are falling, colors that brightened the fall season are fading, and in the words of North Carolina mountains’ fall leaf reporter Howard Neufeld, “All good things must come to an end.” Although slow to develop because of late-arriving cooler temperatures, the fall season finally peaked with brilliant color throughout the province. Maples were especially showy with bright yellow and orange foliage, and for the first time in several years, oaks became clothed in orange, red and russet brown before casting off their leaves. Many clear and sunny days aided in color development and provided ideal conditions for leaf viewing.

Past-peak and leafless conditions are being reported except for eastern sections of the Piedmont. Deborah Robertson of Wake County’s Blue Jay Point Park in Raleigh reports “incredible color” all around the park. Color has penetrated interior portions of the area’s forests, with beautiful bright pigments occurring along roadsides, greenways and shorelines.

Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Laurinburg and the rest of the North Carolina Sandhills are not particularly known for fall color because of the dominance of longleaf pine, but that is an oversight. In the Sandhills, which straddle the fall line separating the Coastal Plain from the Piedmont, a large number of oaks - including turkey, blackjack and post - as well as sourwoods and flowering dogwoods make up the fire-suppressed understory of the pine forest, and they are really brilliant right now.

Ranger Nancy Williamson of Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve in Southern Pines states that numerous oaks, sourwoods and dogwoods are showing off nicely in the preserve’s open pine forests. Take time to visit this unusual and picturesque state park. Bright red, orange, purple and deeper reds are especially pretty against the deep green longleaf pine and the fire-blackened tree trunks. This unusual and beautiful landscape is often overlooked. U.S. 15-501 toward Laurinburg and U.S. 1 heading to Rockingham will showcase lovely scenery. Both highways transect the Sandhills Game Lands offering the motorist a nice afternoon outing.

That’s it for this year’s fall leaf reports as the season is beginning to transition to winter. Regardless of the time of year, North Carolina is blessed with abundant natural resources and outdoor opportunities. I hope these articles have encouraged you to explore the many parks and greenways of the Piedmont, and to enjoy the diverse and beautiful state that is North Carolina.

Past 2011 Fall Color Reports

added: September 14, 2011

updated: November 17, 2011