It's beginning to look a little more like fall in the mountains. Although the mountains are still predominantly green, there are scattered patches of color developing on the mountainsides at mid to upper elevations ( Mainly at 3700 ft. and above ). At high elevation, birches are a muted gold while American mountain ash berries are vivid red. Some trees along Clingmans Dome Road have already lost their leaves, while others are still a tired, end-of-season green. Along Newfound Gap Road and other roadways in the park, sourwoods, dogwoods, Virginia creeper, and a few maples are deep red. Check out this week's images of the park.
Fall wildflowers such as cardinal flower, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, great blue lobelia, skunk goldenrod, southern harebell, ironweed, and a variety of asters are still blooming. The bright fruits on trees such as dogwoods and shrubs such as hearts-a-bustin are eye-catching now.
The park usually experiences an autumn leaf season of several weeks as fall colors travel down the mountain sides from high elevation to low. However, the timing of fall color change depends upon so many variables that the exact dates of "peak" season are impossible to predict in advance.
Elevation profoundly affects when fall colors change in the park. At higher elevations, where the climate is similar to New England's, color displays start as early as mid-September with the turning of yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry.
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