Where Leaf Colors Are Peaking In Maryland This Weekend

MARYLAND — This is the weekend for Maryland leaf-peepers to go for a drive to take in fall colors as trees in the Bel Air, Elkton and Towson areas hit their peak, according to state foresters and rangers. Leaves should change colors to blazing reds, vibrant oranges and sunny yellows this weekend in Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, one expert predicts.

Melissa Nash, Garrett County forester says this will probably be the last hoorah for the far west as the oaks have all turned mostly brown and will be dropping most of their leaves soon. However, Nash explained, “An often overlooked and somewhat unusual late fall treat is the tamarack. Also commonly called larch, tamarack is one of Maryland’s few deciduous conifers. ... It can be found in isolated stands in the higher elevations and more boreal type forests of Garrett County. ... In the fall, these trees produce a vibrant yellow color," Nash said in the Fall Foliage and Festival Report for Nov. 3-4 from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

On the Western Shore, Sandy Point State Park in Anne Arundel County is "seeing some changing hues, mainly with muted reds," writes Park Ranger Dorna Cooper in a news release.

A week has made a difference in Washington and western Frederick counties, adds forester Aaron Cook. "The oaks, which dominate our ridges, have thrown in the towel and the ridges are now a lackluster and somewhat muted bronze and green hue. The transition happened so rapidly that we will be past peak this weekend. The leaves seem to be falling as fast as they are turning, while much of the forest had already shed leaves in advance of leaf change."

Maryland Park Service Ranger Mary Jo Bartles says the trees are starting to get a little bit of color in Greenbrier State Park, but there are still a lot of green leaves there which could produce color or just brown up and fall.

Laura Fawks Lapole, park naturalist, reports from Cecil County that Elk Neck State Park is at a 60 percent color change. "The beech trees are a brilliant gold, and the maples add in splashes of orange and red. The drive along Route 272 toward the Turkey Point Lighthouse is really beautiful right now," she said in the state report.

Kent and Queen Anne’s forester Teri Batchelor says the zelcova and red maples are turning orange and red. Black walnuts have almost lost all of their leaves,whil oak trees are still green.

Fall is finally showing off her colors in Patapsco Valley State Park, ranger say.

Assateague State Park is "looking like fall and it’s turning fast," said Angela Baldwin, park manager.

Pocomoke River State Park Manager Cineva Smith says, "Bold colors are now visible among the dogwood and maple trees. The unusually wet weather has benefited the bald cypress trees resulting in a brilliant orange hue that is prevalent at the Shad Landing pond and along the banks of the Pocomoke River."

In Dorchester County, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center Manager Dana Paterra says the colors have really started to pop in the sweetgums, maples and sassafras trees.

Jen Selfridge with the Wildlife and Heritage Service said there is little color in Easton and fall foliage on the Eastern Shore varies greatly, depending on where you go. "It’s not the beautiful artists palette of colors that we usually see, but the oaks and the dogwoods are changing. I even saw some maples during the drive back to Easton that were pretty shades of orange."

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Maryland offers some stunning vistas, including several in state parks suggested by Visit Maryland:

• The C&O Canal National Historic Park offers numerous hiking options, such as the strenuous Billy Goat Trail for advanced hikers. The trail rewards hikers with vistas of the surging Potomac River flanked by forests bursting with color.
• Elk Neck State Park located on a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Elk River combines colorful forests with sandy beaches for great viewing. From the Turkey Point parking lot off Route 272 South, it's an easy one-mile walk to the historic 1833 Turkey Point Lighthouse atop a 100-foot bluff at the southern tip of the Elk Neck Peninsula. Climb 35 feet to its top for a spectacular view of the Bay waters and brilliant fall foliage.
• Patapsco Valley State Park, covering 32 miles of the Patapsco River in Howard County, offers great fall foliage views from the comfort of your car if that's a better fit for you. Drive to Valley Overlook in the Hollofield area right off Route 40. From there you can venture into Ellicott City's Main Street, which has shops and restaurants open even as it recovers from fatal August floods.
• In the heart of Baltimore County's horse country, Oregon Ridge Park near Cockeysville has hiking trails that showcase a tree-scape of yellow, orange and red.
• Swallow Falls State Park in Garrett County is located nine miles north of Oakland and contains part of the Youghiogheny River, which flows along the park's borders, passing through shaded rocky gorges and creating rippling rapids, and Muddy Creek Falls, a 53-foot waterfall. The 1 1/4 mile trail through Swallow Falls guides hikers to Western Maryland's breath-taking scenery.
• Other areas to visit close to the Baltimore-Washington metro area: Gwynnbrook Wildlife Management Area in Owings Mills, Baltimore County; Sugar Loaf Mountain Natural Resource Area in southern Frederick County; Seneca Creek State Park just southwest of Gaithersburg; and Dierssen Wildlife Management Area situated between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River in Montgomery County, offering first-rate opportunities for waterfowl watching and quiet interludes for strollers along the Canal Tow Path.

If you're planning a trip somewhere else, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map can help you pinpoint the best dates for a visit.

And The Foliage Network posts regular updates on when leaves start to drop and the colors start to turn.

What Causes Leaves To Turn

You probably remember from science class that the color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant's ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to stay healthy — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green to the human eye.

But leaves aren't green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves' big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a halt. The colors in fall's breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park's website.

For example, beta-carotenes reflect the yellow and red light from the sun and give leaves an orange hue. The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf's life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows that make you feel as if you're walking in a ray of sunshine?

They're produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It's always present in leaves, but doesn't show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.

Photo by Patch Editor Beth Dalbey