Saturday, October 24, 2009

Color of Autumn


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The fall color in Monroe and Carbon Counties peaked this week according to Pocono Mountains Fall Foliage Reports.

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The only day we had available this week turned out cloudy and cool. Even though the colors were not as bright as they might have been in the sun, we enjoyed passing fields and hills covered in bright red, orange, magenta, purple, yellow and gold as we drove north. The view from Penn’s Peak (above and right) was spectacular. We had an enjoyable day taking in nature’s blazing finery.

The variety of species on the mountain is responsible for the mix of colors. Oak, sassafras, maple, walnut, ash, chestnut, locust, hickory, birch, aspen and elm among the evergreens add their glowing color to the mix.

Local color is just starting. The view from Bethlehem’s City Center Plaza shows some bright color mixed with green looking toward South Mountain.
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The current view of the Lehigh River is peacefully green with just a slight touch of color.
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Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Patriot’), planted this year, is an excellent substitution for the invasive burning bush (Euonymus alatus). The fruit is wonderful and the brilliant fall color is a nice surprise.

Next week the Lehigh Valley should be as colorful as the Poconos. Raking, shredding and composting will begin shortly thereafter. The brilliant show will be over and my world will turn brown until spring. I plan to enjoy the color while it lasts.


(More information on the process of fall leaf color change "The Miracle of Fall" from the University of Illinois Extension.)
(For fall color around the world check out "The Fall Color Project" at The Home Garden http://www.growingthehomegarden.com/2009/09/fall-color-project-2009.html )
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6 comments:

Dave@The Home Garden said...

Marie,

Some very nice shots of Eastern PA! Thanks for joining in the Fall Color Project. I just posted the post sorry it took so long, I've been away from the computer today.

Sarah Laurence said...

What a stunning valley! Bright colors add so much to a grey day. The blueberries grow wild in Maine and add such delightful color in the fall and delicious berries in the summer. We have a few small bushes the birds planted in our yard.

maria cecilia said...

Hello Marie, you have a spectacular colors from fall around you. It´s so nice seeing that fall can be as beautiful as spring. Thank you.
Muchos cariƱos
Maria Cecilia

Marie said...

Dave,
Thank you for hosting "The Fall Color Project". It's great fun to see the color change in other areas.

Marie said...

Sarah,
The fall colors are brilliant this year. I knew the blueberry had good fall color but I was surprised by the dazzling red.

Marie said...

Maria Cecilia,
Thank you. As we have the end to our gardening season, I am happy to watch spring unfold in your garden. Your photography is spectacular.