Foliage report...please (Kingsport, Bristol: areas, county, photos)

[gemkeeper]

Those photos are beautiful, TedTAce. Thanks for posting them. I must say that yours look so much better than mine that showed more side view mirror than mountains! I got some wonderful shots on the Tail of the Dragon of our reflections in the windshield!! I definitely need more practice.

We noticed that even at the higher elevations on Rte. 129 in TN, NC and N. GA that only about a third of the leaves had changed.

Strangely enough, at the lower elevations in N. GA we saw more color than at the higher areas. My only guess is that cold air settles in the valleys as hot air rises and perhaps that prompted the color difference this fall. Any guesses, folks? It was a beautiful drive up and around E. TN this past weekend and I think, too, that the next 2 weeks will probably be the best for autumn color.

[TedTAce]

Originally Posted by gemthornton

Those photos are beautiful, TedTAce. Thanks for posting them.

You are welcome!!

I too was surprised that the lower elevations seemed more colorful. Maybe this weekend will be better.

[JMT]

Those really are some beautiful pictures! It's easy to see why Cades Cove is so popular.

I hope the colors this weekend will be more vibrant, too. Last weekend I was up in the higher elevations of the NC mountains and saw a LOT of color. They're usually a week or two ahead of us.

[summergal]

Hopefully there will be lots of color left by the time I arrive. I'm bringing the video camera so maybe this ametuer can get some decent vids of the area to post. I promise to try keepin the fingers outta the way! LOL

[Tennesseestorm]

Yeah, its strange this year... some areas still have alot of green trees, while some have leaves that withered and turned brown...

Someone on the Tri-Cities forums posted these from the Kingsport, TN area (atop of Bays MTN, which is well above Kingsport). As you can see, still very low color in some areas...









I am amazed at the difference in leaf color between Bristol and Johnson City vs. Kingsport. Many of the leaves in Kingsport are still green, whereas many places in Bristol and Johnson City seem to have lost most of the green. There are isolated spots in Bristol and JC where many trees are green, but does not seem as widespread as they are in KPT. I know that KPT is about 400 ft. lower in elevation and normally a little warmer, but I have noticed on TWC in the AM's that Kingsport has often had a cooler temperature than Bristol or JC. Also, I am noting the trees on top of Bays MTN, which is higher than Bristol and JC and they still seem to have a great deal of green! Its very interesting to say the least and its nice to see good color in KPT. Same cannot be said for Bristol or JC, where it seems like most of the leaves that are not green now had just turned brown and withered.

[gemkeeper]

Beautiful photos. We haven't been to the Tri-Cities area yet, but it is definitely on the list.

We noticed that the leaves in lower E. TN last weekend were not as brilliant there either. A lot of the usually colorful foliage was just dropping - very drab and dry.

[hiknapster]

I was really looking around today, gem. It is so spotty. JMT is right. There are lots of spots where there are lots of green trees left. And then there are some yellow/brown leaves. There was a bit more reds today, though.

I guess we just ask for some more precipitation next year. I few good snow storms will help.

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks Gem. I do not personally know the person that took the photos, but she always takes awesome foliage photos.

Yeah, I am suprised that the ones in Kingsport in the photos look that nice. Seems like the rest of this area are like you described. Color is very dull on the trees that have changed and most of the foliage had just dried up. We can thank our horrible drought for that. We are now nearly 18 inches BELOW average on the rain.

Originally Posted by gemthornton

Beautiful photos. We haven't been to the Tri-Cities area yet, but it is definitely on the list.

We noticed that the leaves in lower E. TN last weekend were not as brilliant there either. A lot of the usually colorful foliage was just dropping - very drab and dry.

[TedTAce]

Ok, here's the latest from Blount County
To Borrow TennesseeStorm: "some areas still have alot of green trees, while some have leaves that withered and turned brown"

The ones that have turned are spectacular, but the mountans are still being stingy about displaying an 'en masse' change.

Here's yesterday's catch:
Blount County Fall November 3rd 2007 (broken link)

Here's today's catch:
Blount County Fall November 4th 2007 (broken link)

[hiknapster]

I think it's the kind of trees and whether they have held up better or worse throughout the drought.