Fall colors appear to be at about their peak here in Eugene. In town there is a nice mix of reds, oranges, and yellows but it appears that the reds and oranges are mostly from trees that have been planted. The native deciduous species seem to mostly turn yellow in fall, which is less dramatic than the brilliant colors of the UP and much of the northern mid-west Im used to. As you climb up into the Cascades and Coastal Mountains east and west of the Willamette Valley the mix of trees changes. After about 3000 feet elevation or so the deciduous species are pretty much totally replaced by conifers, mostly Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce, and Pnderosa Pine. I understand that also happens to be about where the winter snow-line ends so it may be a result of the conifers better ability to survive heavy snow loads. Im gradually learning to identify the native northwest tree species since so many of them, while similar to those Im familiar with, are quite different when examined closely. Aint nature fascinating?
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 09:53:44 +0000