The forests are showing color this
week here in central North Carolina.
Too bad it's been raining ever since
the weekend (I declare the drought officially over ... gurgle). Sunshine certainly
adds radiance to the colorful foliage ...
... like in the Appalachian Mountains
over the weekend. When driving back from Charleston, WV on Saturday I followed I-77
down the spine of the mountain chain. In the southern part of the state, at about
3000 feet elevation, I must have said Wow! to myself a hundred times as I rounded
each curve. Truly a treat for the senses ... bummer I didn't think of a camera.
The reds were shimmering in the sunshine
and the golds were glistening. I especially love the color of a maple tree that has
retained half its bright summer green and has one sleeve of its yellow and gold
coat on. The combination is stunning.
As I continued south through Virginia
and into North Carolina, the elevation decreased while the latitude increased. Each
50 miles marked about a day in the timing of colors.
So now the coloring is
catching up to me.
The forests here are largely pine,
so there won't be as much color, but there are still a goodly number of the eastern
hardwoods beginning to make their presence known. Now ... if the sun would just shine.
