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It’s almost the end of September, and it’s beginning to feel like fall with cooler nights and mornings. Another sign it is fall is that the sublime emerald leaves that merged with the blue skies just a month ago are turning golden and drifting toward us. Soon, it will be time to bring out the rake to clear them from the lawn.
Leaf experts anticipate the season will peak in October and that despite summer’s heat we will still have brilliant colors in Northeast Tennessee because we have so many different kinds of trees, and they grow on ridges, slopes and mountains, making the mountains colorful this time of year.
The colorful leaves also draw leaf peepers to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia. But predicting when the leaves will peak in color is not an exact science; rather it’s dependent on various factors, including temperature, amount of daylight, and stresses like pests and drought.
These indicators also dictate when the best time is for leaf peepers to take to the mountains.
Fall is a beautiful time in the Northeast Tennessee mountains. How can you not be excited to view the yellows, golds, oranges, reds, and even purples that the poplars, dogwoods, maples, and hickories display. Northeast Tennessee, especially areas around Watauga Lake, Stoney Creek, Tiger Creek, and Roan Mountain, put on quiet the fall foliage show most years. It is some of the best in the area.
Colorful leaves are not the only thing autumn brings. Temperatures dip; the light gradually diminishes in the evening. We no longer awaken to the bright sun but to the gray dawn. All around us, change is evident.
Why do the leaves fall? Leaves turn sunlight into food for trees. When they can no longer provide food, the leaves are released by the trees. Their colors are stunning and they serve as a significant part of our fall landscape.
Fall not only means colorful leaves, but it means pumpkins, fodder shocks, colorful pots of chrysanthemums, apple butter making, pots of soup and chili, festivals, and homecoming football games.
The beauty of autumn is that the weather is the perfect middle ground in comparison to hot summers and cold winters. It’s not cold enough to necessitate donning a thick jacket, but feel free to wear those sweaters, stylish scarves, boots, and other articles of clothing that you’ve been waiting all year to wear! Don’t forget to buy those Halloween costumes early, too.
Autumn encapsulates many beloved holidays and events like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and pumpkin spice latte season.
Take a breather, and enjoy all autumn has to offer.