Per the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Blink and you might miss it. Peak fall color that is. Some reports out of western Maryland this week describe past peak conditions, and foresters and park rangers in other regions of the state also report rapid changes, with tree canopies transforming from mostly green to brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red often in as little as 48 hours.
A strong cold front at the beginning of the week brought a sweeping wind into the forests and mountain ranges, resulting in a colorful forest floor and a lot of nearly bare trees. Time is of the essence for those wanting to capture autumn’s glory before it’s gone. Check out 11 Great Places For Fall Foliage in MoCo at this link.
Watershed Forester Bob Schwartz reports from along South Mountain in western Frederick County this week: “We were around peak prior to the rainfall over the weekend, which caused a lot of leaf-drop and pushed the mountainsides from vibrant yellows to mottled colors in a matter of days. However, there is plenty of burnished gold and blue sky left to see, particularly in the mountain coves or other sheltered areas that experienced less direct impact from the storms. Hopefully the return to cooler weather means we get an elongated end of season color flush.”