Ok folks, I canceled my Rainier Wildflowers vacation this year so I can shoot the fall colors in Colorado. Actually it was a decision forced on me by my employer, but what the heck, lemonade from lemons…
2008 (my first season with an SLR) in the San Juans was wonderful, but I heard that 2009 the aspens passed the yellow stage and went straight to brown.
What determines this process of color change? Is it the spring/ summer rain fall combined with fall temperature? Is this something predictable by simply running the numbers? Or is it more that the planets, moons and gods get together to surprise us.
Sorry for the rookie question. Feel free to point me to Google if this is the wrong place to ask.
Posted by Todd Caudle on August 26, 2010 at 7:46 AM
Expect to hear many differing opinions, none of which will amount to a hill of beans once the fall colors start to happen.
Posted by Jack Garrett on August 26, 2010 at 9:02 AM
Expect to hear many differing opinions, none of which will amount to a hill of beans once the fall colors start to happen.
I seem to remember Caz asking a scientific question about wildflower and fall peak colors a while back and this was Mr. Caudles response:
Wildflowers will peak on July 25th, 03:47:21 local time. It will be dark, so you will miss peak. You might as well skip it altogether. Fall colors will follow suit exactly 63 days, 4 hours, 37 minutes and 9 seconds later. Hope this helps.
I have booked my fall photo shoot accordingly.
That being said, I don't know how you figure things out. I've heard that because of the hot, dry summer some leaves are already turning yellow. A local news story siad that what happens is this: When the root system gets starved, it shuts down water to the leaves first, so they dry out and turn yellow sooner. The other problem is that there is some type of disease that is killing off aspen groves in large numbers. That may also contribute to what type of fall we get. I still say that if you are in the right place at the right time (Believe it or not, MR. C's prediction is right on....Sept 26th at 8:24:30AM) you will come away with something worth keeping.
Posted by Scott Bacon on August 26, 2010 at 9:25 AM
Just come to CO with an open schedule (and mind) - last week of September through the first week of October. Then check in here to see where things are happening.
Posted by Don Grall on August 26, 2010 at 12:22 PM
Another aspect is that despite what the weather conditions were during the summer and early fall season there will always be a valley or mountain somewhere that will have really good color, even when the opposite side of that very valley or mountain has lousy color. Colorado's mountains are loaded with micro climates so every fall season means putting on a lot of miles trying to find the gold amidst the fool's gold. The prime season has always been Sept 25 to Oct 12 plus or minus a week.
”Wildflowers will peak on July 25th, 03:47:21 local time. It will be dark, so you will miss peak. You might as well skip it altogether. Fall colors will follow suit exactly 63 days, 4 hours, 37 minutes and 9 seconds later. Hope this helps.”
Ha ha… I got a good laugh out of this.
“there will always be a valley or mountain somewhere that will have really good color, even when the opposite side of that very valley or mountain has lousy color.”
Good point, I would have to agree. In 08 I saw so much beauty in so many places I was just overwhelmed. One could almost shoot blindfolded and do well. If I could find a fraction of this grandeur in the Sierras I would be happy. I’m sure the persistent and open minded photographer will do well regardless of the conditions.
A search of this fine site revealed lots of good info.
"The color starts in the northern part of the state and moves south as the season progresses."
I’ll hit all of the usual places from RMNP down to the San Juans the last week of September and the first week of October.
Mmm…. Just a man, pickup truck, lots of good food and his new 5D MKII…… Should be wonderful.
Keep an eye on this forum, I bet withink a few weeks there will be a bumped thread on conditions that's really helpful. A lot of us will be out there at the same time so make sure to say hi
I'm looking forward to fall too. One thing to remember, whether it's a bad year or a good one, sometimes it only takes one tree to make an image. Some of my favorite fall color photos ever are of those last few yellow leaves in a bare stand. There will be good photos to be had no matter what, it's just a matter of persistence and observation. That said, I won't ever complain about acres and acres of colorful aspens!
“tell me how to get to the spot in your image”....
This was a fun night.
This is the Telluride side of Last Dollar Rd just at the point where it enters the national forest boundary. It is really obvious when you get to this spot.
Enjoy….
Posted by Bryan Maltais on August 30, 2010 at 1:41 PM
Actually in 2009 throughout the Elks and San Juans I caught some wicked fall colors. it's not that they went straight to brown, it's that strong storms blew all the leaves off, and the colors lasted only approximately 5 minutes. Furthermore, they peaked a few days later than average, after many photogs had already headed home. Peak lasts about 2 days, is different for each region of Colorado, and can be anywhere from I'd say Sept 25th to Oct 6th. Here's something interesting:
"Why do some years have autumns more colorful than others?
The intensity of autumn leaf coloration each year is different. This is because the amount and exposure of colored chemicals in leaves depend on the weather. Green chlorophyll disappears fastest during an autumn with bright sunlight and cold days. This disappearance quickly exposes the leaves' orange and yellow pigments to view. Dry weather concentrates sugar in the cell sap, which speeds up manufacture of red compounds. So the most colorful autumns depend on the weather. Dry, sunny days of an Indian summer that are followed by cool, dry nights will create the best season for the fall leaf show. You can predict good viewing if you analyze the weather conditions."
http://www.sciencebuff.org/collections/research-collections/botany/bright-fall-colors/
Discussion
12 replies2008 (my first season with an SLR) in the San Juans was wonderful, but I heard that 2009 the aspens passed the yellow stage and went straight to brown.
What determines this process of color change? Is it the spring/ summer rain fall combined with fall temperature? Is this something predictable by simply running the numbers? Or is it more that the planets, moons and gods get together to surprise us.
Sorry for the rookie question. Feel free to point me to Google if this is the wrong place to ask.
I seem to remember Caz asking a scientific question about wildflower and fall peak colors a while back and this was Mr. Caudles response:
Wildflowers will peak on July 25th, 03:47:21 local time. It will be dark, so you will miss peak. You might as well skip it altogether. Fall colors will follow suit exactly 63 days, 4 hours, 37 minutes and 9 seconds later. Hope this helps.
I have booked my fall photo shoot accordingly.
That being said, I don't know how you figure things out. I've heard that because of the hot, dry summer some leaves are already turning yellow. A local news story siad that what happens is this: When the root system gets starved, it shuts down water to the leaves first, so they dry out and turn yellow sooner. The other problem is that there is some type of disease that is killing off aspen groves in large numbers. That may also contribute to what type of fall we get. I still say that if you are in the right place at the right time (Believe it or not, MR. C's prediction is right on....Sept 26th at 8:24:30AM) you will come away with something worth keeping.
”Wildflowers will peak on July 25th, 03:47:21 local time. It will be dark, so you will miss peak. You might as well skip it altogether. Fall colors will follow suit exactly 63 days, 4 hours, 37 minutes and 9 seconds later. Hope this helps.”
Ha ha… I got a good laugh out of this.
“there will always be a valley or mountain somewhere that will have really good color, even when the opposite side of that very valley or mountain has lousy color.”
Good point, I would have to agree. In 08 I saw so much beauty in so many places I was just overwhelmed. One could almost shoot blindfolded and do well. If I could find a fraction of this grandeur in the Sierras I would be happy. I’m sure the persistent and open minded photographer will do well regardless of the conditions.
A search of this fine site revealed lots of good info.
"The color starts in the northern part of the state and moves south as the season progresses."
I’ll hit all of the usual places from RMNP down to the San Juans the last week of September and the first week of October.
Mmm…. Just a man, pickup truck, lots of good food and his new 5D MKII…… Should be wonderful.
Joe Rogers
This was a fun night.
This is the Telluride side of Last Dollar Rd just at the point where it enters the national forest boundary. It is really obvious when you get to this spot.
Enjoy….
"Why do some years have autumns more colorful than others?
The intensity of autumn leaf coloration each year is different. This is because the amount and exposure of colored chemicals in leaves depend on the weather. Green chlorophyll disappears fastest during an autumn with bright sunlight and cold days. This disappearance quickly exposes the leaves' orange and yellow pigments to view. Dry weather concentrates sugar in the cell sap, which speeds up manufacture of red compounds. So the most colorful autumns depend on the weather. Dry, sunny days of an Indian summer that are followed by cool, dry nights will create the best season for the fall leaf show. You can predict good viewing if you analyze the weather conditions."
http://www.sciencebuff.org/collections/research-collections/botany/bright-fall-colors/
Peak lasting only two days… yikes. I guess it helps to log into this site while roaming the Rockies.
Thanks for the sciencebuff link. Reading this was the most enjoyable part of my day.
The part about preserving fall color leaves between two sheets of wax paper brought back childhood memories.