Fall foliage colors are coming on slowly this year, and in some places without their usual brilliance. But at Dolly Sods colors abound as Phyllis and I discovered last Wednesday (10-5-2016) on a foggy, cloudy day in the high country.
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| Dolly Sods |
Ferns are Great this Year
Although the trees leaves are struggling for color, ferns are having a banner year. Without killing frosts, the ferns have been able to grow old gracefully gradually adopting a breathtaking spectrum of earth tones. Bright yellow, gold, light green, beige, and brown all adorn patches of ferns like a painter’s palette.
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| Dolly Sods |
In Dolly Sods across the road from the South Overlook on Forest Road 75, we found a stand of ferns literally glowing despite the slate gray sky. The golden ferns contrasted beautifully with the deep green spruce trees. The golden ferns also contrasted nicely with the red leaves of the blueberry plants.
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Dolly Sods
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Goldenrod Still Going Strong
We also found goldenrod lighting up some patches here and there. The goldenrod accented autumn scenes with bright yellow stalks. Although the fall colors at Spruce Knob Lake were muted, there was a fine patch of goldenrod.
Even an occasional Spruce tree branch varied in color from dark green to light green to greenish yellow to light brown.
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| Dolly Sods |
Though tree foliage colors were just beginning to show, there was plenty of awe inspiring colors to be found at that beautiful place we call Dolly Sods.
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| Dolly Sods |
And yes, it looks like tree color is arriving, too.
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| Dolly Sods |
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