Asheville, N.C., officials are making their pitch for leaf peepers looking for brilliant colors this fall.
“A long spell of dry weather during the spring and summer could provide some of the most brilliant colors seen in several years for leaf-lookers headed to the mountains of Western North Carolina this autumn,” Katherine Mathews, an assistant professor of biology specializing in plant systematic at Western Carolina University, said in a news release.
Because of its location along the Blue Ridge Parkway and on the outskirts of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Asheville is considered to be among the best leaf peeping locations in the Southeast.
“A few weeks ago the weather transitioned to clear, sunny days–the ideal combination for a really beautiful fall,” Howie Neufeld, a professor of plant physiology at Appalachian State University, said in a news release.
“When people remember a good color season, it is usually because they got those brilliant reds contrasting against the rest of the fall color spectrum,” Neufeld added. “The bi-product of photosynthesis is sugar, and sugar triggers red pigment production. So, these bright sunny days we’re seeing will build up that intense red pigment in the leaves. We’re on course for a colorful fall season.”
For more information, visit www.FallInTheMountains.com for weekly fall color reports.
