Fall foliage past prime but still worth seeing
It was probably the wet summer that brought on an early change in the fall foliage this year.
“But it’s just a glorious time to be outside in Western Pennsylvania,” said Cecile Stelter, a forester with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “We encourage everyone to visit their parks or just take a walk in their backyard.”
Western Pennsylvania has a large number and wide variety of trees — 134 species — as well as topography with elevations ranging from sea level to more than 3,000 feet. Drive through any neighborhood in Butler County, Stelter said, and you could see a giant range of tree species equaling a giant range of colors.
This year, yellows and golds — think birch and poplar — came in bright and early.
Then in the past few weeks we started seeing red maples, orange and sugar maple and oak. Oaks are usually last to show their colors, in browns or burnt oranges.
Stelter said a lot of areas peaked last weekend into this week, and other areas are well past peak.
Then some rain came and brought some leaves down and dampened vibrancy further.
“Sort of like when you are painting, water washes out the color. Instead of vibrance and sunlight it looks more dull and its more difficult to distinguish between colors,” Stelter said.
Although prime fall color has passed, Stelter said this weekend still will be colorful in the woodlands of Butler County, including Moraine State Park.
“It’s absolutely breathtaking ... all the colors and we saw the eagle again today,” said Carol Bickel of the Moraine Preservation Fund.
The group offers Fall Foliage Cruises on Lake Arthur on Saturdays and Sundays through the end of October.
Last month more than 500 people took the cruises and just as many are expected this month.
In addition to the foliage, tourists often see two nesting pairs of eagles that live in the park, Bickel said. And the first mate of the boat, Nautical Nature, tells visitors about the glacial history of the park and the area.
“People tell me that it’s good to learn,” Bickel said. “And it’s just beautiful.”
Call 724-368-9185 for information about the Fall Foliage Cruises.
The DCNR has weekly fall foliage reports on its website at: www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/fallfoliage/index.htm.
