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mid atlantic leaf thread


nj2va

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No leaf drop anywhere around here, other than one odd purple tree a block over. Our maple is usually about the first to turn, and it is starting to show a little on the tips.

Heard a story on WTOP that there are less acorns this year. Hope so, since our oaks manage to cover our backyard with the damn things.

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Don't know if it is coincidence or not, but I've seen more deer in our yard in the last two weeks than the prior two years.

I used to have a deer highway in my back yard. They are total creatures of habit. If you see more than normal it usually means there is food to eat and/or your yard is now part of their daily travels.

I had an apple tree that attracted deer like a magnet. They kept coming in droves for years after I chopped it down. Over time there was less and less and now I only see them a couple times a week.

I'll never forget when my son was 3. He walked up to me in the back yard, opened his hand and said "look dad! i found a bunch of brown marbles!".

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I took a close look at the trees while walking the dog this morning. I'm not really that impressed with our color prospects. Some bright reds showing on some maples and some yellows on the poplars but there is way too much brown showing up. It needs to stop raining so much.

Beeches and dogwoods look like crap for the most part. I know its still way early but I'm thinking the wet september did some damage.

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Seems like the cherries have been the first to fall so far. No real color to them - just getting some brown and yellow around the edges and then falling off. Seems like any of the cherries in my neighborhood have lost up to half their leaves already. The neighbors have a 90' beech that has been doing much the same, but on a smaller scale than the cherries.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i feel like bethesda was the first to lose all his leaves last year too

Haven't lost the majority of the leaves yet, (most are still greenish/tannish) but the color that is showing up is pretty pathetic so far.

Select tree groups are dropping early this year though without any real color, predominately the cherries & london planes which make up about 75% of the tree population in this neighborhood, though the london planes usually turn brown anyway. Last fall they held on longer but it was more of a well-rounded loss rather than spotty changes.

I think the culprit for the differences last yr & this yr stems from different species tendancies to respond to different wx trends, September was pretty much clodu & damp while september 2010 was sunnier & definitely warmer.

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I'm planning on heading out to Skyline Drive early next week hopefully. Is there a "better" day of the week to hit the area between Spotswood Trail and 211 when there will be fewer crowds? I'm thinking of starting down by Spotswood and then working my way north to 211 and then heading back. I don't think I need to drive the entire road from 64 to Front Royal.

Need suggestions as well on if I should modify my path or anything or if there's any place in particular I should plan to stop.

Thanks!

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Any days except weekends and Fridays should be about equal. Of course, the best weather days will have the most crowds during the week.

I always like going south from 211 to Big Meadows and then turning around and taking it N all the way back to 340.

IMO- The best scenery is 10 miles N and S of the 211 intersection.

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I have a few trees around the city I have seen change over the years and I think were more or less on schedule here. Perhaps slightly early -- maybe attributed to pre rain dry stress. In my time here it's pretty much like clockwork when peak is etc despite different weather in the leadup. I think sometimes the change is overanalyzed tho im sure the hotspots do have slightly off years etc.

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I'm planning on heading out to Skyline Drive early next week hopefully. Is there a "better" day of the week to hit the area between Spotswood Trail and 211 when there will be fewer crowds? I'm thinking of starting down by Spotswood and then working my way north to 211 and then heading back. I don't think I need to drive the entire road from 64 to Front Royal.

Need suggestions as well on if I should modify my path or anything or if there's any place in particular I should plan to stop.

Thanks!

My personal favorite spot is Hawksbill, which is only about 12 miles south from the intersection of the Drive and 211. It's a short hike (though a bit steep) to the highest point in the park (4,080 ft I believe). The views to the west are incredible, and are only heightened with the foliage you'll see. Midweek will help you avoid the big crowds.

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Leaves are pretty much done here -- I burned my leaf piles yesterday. Still nice color at about 2500' and below.

If I did that in Montgomery County I would probably get 6-12 months. lol

I only have a third of an acre but I have about a dozen tulip poplars and beeches. My annual leaf pile is about the size of a minivan. If I burned it you would probably see the smoke signal from your front porch.

My trees seem to be on track for a normal drop. Maples in the neighborhood are about 30% changed. Should be looking great in 2 weeks or so.

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