{"id":4700,"date":"2019-10-22T21:29:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T21:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/?p=4700"},"modified":"2023-07-22T21:32:49","modified_gmt":"2023-07-22T21:32:49","slug":"so-when-will-those-fall-colors-peak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/22\/so-when-will-those-fall-colors-peak\/","title":{"rendered":"So\u2026 When Will Those Fall Colors Peak?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><em>Audio story by Mike Tripp for WMRA (NPR) radio.<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may have noticed that autumn leaf colors seem a bit late this year. &nbsp;WMRA\u2019s Mike Tripp paid a visit to Shenandoah National Park to explore the reasons why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/TRIPP-AUTUMN-COLOR2.wav\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-6-1024x811.jpg?resize=768%2C608&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4701\" width=\"768\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C811&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-6.jpg?resize=300%2C238&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-6.jpg?resize=768%2C608&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-6.jpg?resize=1536%2C1217&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-6.jpg?resize=70%2C55&amp;ssl=1 70w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-6.jpg?w=1760&amp;ssl=1 1760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>(Photo by Mike Tripp)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[Sounds of walking]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019BRIEN: My trail name is \u2018Best Hiker on the Appalachian Trail.\u2019 &nbsp;No\u2026 kidding. My trail name is \u2018Short Cut.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His name is Brian O\u2019Brien from Columbus Ohio. Met up with him and some of his friends along the Appalachian Trail near Luray and the Thornton Gap entrance to Skyline Drive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-7-1024x748.jpg?resize=512%2C374&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4702\" width=\"512\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-7.jpg?resize=1024%2C748&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-7.jpg?resize=300%2C219&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-7.jpg?resize=768%2C561&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-7.jpg?resize=1536%2C1122&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-7.jpg?resize=70%2C51&amp;ssl=1 70w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-7.jpg?w=1760&amp;ssl=1 1760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Brian O&#8217;Brien and Jerry Fultz of Ohio were in the middle of a three to four day hike on the Appalachian Trail with friends. They stopped for a short break at a panorama comfort station located on Skyline Drive at Thornton Gap. (Photo by Mike Tripp)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019BRIEN: It\u2019s beautiful. We\u2019re doing a section hike from Bird\u2019s Nest 3, just south of the Pinnacles, into Front Royal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They expect to be on the trail three to four days. And if anyone has seen autumn colors, surely, it\u2019s them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019BRIEN: Very little. The leaves are changing and just the tips of them. But it\u2019s beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hiker points to one of his friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019BRIEN: He\u2019s the tree guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FULTZ: I grow trees for a living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meet Jerry Fultz of Westerville, Ohio. Jerry has yet to earn his trail name, but he does know his trees.&nbsp; He&#8217;s an operations manager for Acorn Farms Inc &#8212; a large grower and distributor of trees, shrubs and perennials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FULTZ: I\u2019ve seen some tinges of red and things as sugar maples are starting to turn. From Ohio so we have a little different biology going on here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, what\u2019s his guess on when might be the peak of color?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FULTZ: About another week and a half I think around here, another week \u2026 Pretty heavy full color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s another expert listening in to our conversation &#8212; &nbsp;Forest Service Ranger Sally Hurlbert.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-8-1024x768.jpg?resize=768%2C576&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4703\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-8.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-8.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-8.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-8.jpg?resize=70%2C53&amp;ssl=1 70w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-8.jpg?w=1760&amp;ssl=1 1760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>U.S. Forest Ranger Sally Hurlbert serves as management specialist for Shenandoah National Park. She spoke with WMRA&#8217;s Mike Tripp along the Appalachian Trail near Skyline Drive at Thornton Gap. (Photo by Mike Tripp)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT: &nbsp;Well, we\u2019re standing under a maple right here, and it\u2019s just green. But if you get out here in the parking lot, there\u2019s one that\u2019s brilliant reds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She serves as management specialist for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/shen\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shenandoah National Park<\/a>, so she\u2019s well-versed in when the fall colors appear every year, and why this year the colors are a little later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT:&nbsp; Well, right now it\u2019s October. The leaves are beginning to change. It\u2019s variable throughout Shenandoah National Park. Usually our colors change at the higher elevations first and then work their way down the mountain. We normally say that our peak season is second to the third week of October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She says that this year, the peak will be later this month, or even into November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT: We had a wet summer up into about the end of August, and then the taps turned off and it was dry. And for most of September, we didn\u2019t get any rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And because we\u2019ve had a drought situation, it\u2019s delayed things. But not to worry, the colors are coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT: They have begun to shut down their chlorophyll, and they are beginning to change. We\u2019ve seen a few trees that have changed but we haven\u2019t seen the entire forest changing yet. We\u2019re not going to see full-on color for another week or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She says the colors were also late last year, but for slightly different reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT:&nbsp; What happened last year was October was a really rainy month. For the middle of October, it was very wet. And then when it finally stopped raining, then the colors really began to change towards the end of October, early November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She notes there\u2019s one thing that doesn\u2019t change year to year, and that\u2019s the amount of daylight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT:&nbsp; What starts to change them is the shorter days, which won\u2019t change over the years. That just happens because we are getting into the fall. What we haven\u2019t had is the cooler nights. I do know that it\u2019s starting to get cold. I was driving down and saw frost on the ground yesterday. Not up here on the mountain but down low.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-9-1024x780.jpg?resize=512%2C390&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4705\" width=\"512\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-9.jpg?resize=1024%2C780&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-9.jpg?resize=300%2C228&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-9.jpg?resize=768%2C585&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-9.jpg?resize=1536%2C1169&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-9.jpg?resize=70%2C53&amp;ssl=1 70w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-9.jpg?w=1760&amp;ssl=1 1760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Some of the trees in this view from Skyline Drive have begun to show hints of fall hues of red, burnt orange and yellow. But Ranger Sally Hurlbert says the peak in Shenandoah National Forest will likely be late October or early November. (Photo by Mike Tripp)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[Sound of a leaf being crumbled.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT: I use to think that the first frost would get everything to change, but if you have too cold of weather and too much frost then that just makes the leaves shut down and then they just end up falling off. But if you have cooler nights, that allows the sugars to build up in the leaves and the pigment to change. And you\u2019ll get more reds and purples and colors like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Could climate change be the culprit? \u2026 The reason the colors are showing later these last two years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT:&nbsp;&nbsp; You can\u2019t attribute it to climate change unless you see something changing over a long period of time. And usually 30 years is the standard when attributing something to climate change. It is interesting that last year that we broke a record for rain, but then this year it\u2019s a little but under average. So, it\u2019s just hard to say. You have to look at the long term to be able to say one thing or another, whether it\u2019s climate change or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[Sound of wind blowing, rustling trees.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT:&nbsp; You never know what to expect from year to year. All of a sudden you could have a big wind storm come through and all the leaves will be gone in one night. We also sometimes get snow storms in October. &nbsp;I\u2019ve worked here 23 years, and I will say that I\u2019ve never been disappointed in a fall. Some years are really brilliant. Some years are less brilliant. But there\u2019s always a day when you drive down Skyline Drive and go, &#8216;Oh man! It\u2019s gorgeous today!&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hurlbert says the park service is tracking the colors to help visitors plan their visits, and some of that information comes from crowd-sourcing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HURLBERT:&nbsp; We are keeping track of the fall colors on our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/shenandoahnps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">social media sites<\/a>&nbsp;and our website. We\u2019re taking pictures every Thursday in the same locations so you can see how it\u2019s changing. We\u2019re also asking visitors to send us photos with the time and the date they took the picture and where they took it. And I think the visual images will help people decide when they think it\u2019s the right time for them to come to the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShenandoahNPS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shenandoah National Park Twitter page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/https:instagram.com\/shenandoahnps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shenandoah National Park Instagram page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/snpphotos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shenandoah National Park Flickr page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/ShenandoahNPS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shenandoah National Park on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Audio story by Mike Tripp for WMRA (NPR) radio. You may have noticed that autumn leaf colors seem a bit late this year. &nbsp;WMRA\u2019s Mike Tripp paid a visit to Shenandoah National Park to explore the reasons why. [Sounds of walking] O\u2019BRIEN: My trail name is \u2018Best Hiker on the Appalachian Trail.\u2019 &nbsp;No\u2026 kidding. My [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audio-stories"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/f8explorer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/download-7.jpg?fit=1760%2C1286&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4700"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4706,"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4700\/revisions\/4706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/f8explorer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}