2016 Fall Foliage in Reston: Will Leaves Finally Peak This Week?

RESTON, VA — Those stubborn leaves just won't change. It's mid-October, and the trees are still green with only a smattering of yellow here and there. So how long can this keep up in the Reston area?

According to the latest Fall Foliage Report from the Virginia Department of Forestry, fall is "taking its time arriving this year in most areas of Virginia." And temperatures are projected to rise into the 80s this week before dipping back down into more fall like weather, so the joys of autumn may continue to be delayed.

Fortunately, however, the recent sunny days and cool nights will help develop those red and orange colors, according to the report.

"The mountains are beginning to show a subtle golden color, with scattered reds in the canopy," the Oct. 15 report states. "Some areas above 3000 feet have significant color change now, including flashes of bright red to orange maples and golden hickories. Even where much of the landscape remains green, Virginia creeper, dogwood, black gum, and sumac light up the forest edges in shades of pink, red, and deep purple. Now is a good time to notice sourwood trees, with their upward-sweeping seed stalks, blushing pinkish orange at the forest edges."

The report continues: "The green of the Piedmont is lightening to yellow-green, a precursor to color changes that will come in the next few weeks. Urban landscape trees are beginning to color, starting at the tops. In general, trees with greater exposure in any location are among the earliest changers. In Eastern Virginia, green still rules, but some early fall shades can be seen in swampy areas."

Image via Wikimeda user Jongleur100