This Land, Your Land

A hot summer and less-than-average rainfall should lead to a vibrant display of color this autumn in the mountains of western North Carolina, Western Carolina University's fall foliage forecast says.

"It’s been a hot year in North Carolina, with above-average temperatures this summer. Rainfall has been slightly less than average during the spring and summer. These are two factors I look at when thinking about the timing and quality of fall leaf color change in the mountains,” said Kathy Gould Mathews, a WCU associate professor of biology specializing in plant systematics.

“I predict this fall color change will be variable throughout the Southern mountains, but on the whole we should expect to see rich and attractive color change this season,” Gould said Wednesday in The Reporter, a WCU publication.

Although peak fall color typically occurs during the third week of October, this year's peak might arrive closer to the end of October because of the warm temperatures, Mathews said. The color change should begin at the higher elevations in late September and continue through mid-November in the lower levels of western North Carolina.

Thanks to the Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog, where we saw the WCU report.

As the meadow at the Blue Ridge Parkway's Crabtree Meadows Recreation Area fades into history, the National Park Service has changed the park's name to capitalize on the area's 70-foot waterfall.

Crabtree Meadows Recreation Area has been renamed Crabtree Falls Recreation Area, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported recently. The park is at Milepost 339.5 near Spruce Pine.

Many visitors are unaware of the 2 1/2-mile Crabtree Falls Loop Trail and Crabtree Falls, the newspaper says. The 253-acre recreation area also has a campground, picnic area with grills, and restaurant and gift shop.

For more information, contact Crabtree Falls Campground at 828-675-5444

National Parks on the Outer Banks have closed in anticipation of the approach of Hurricane Earl.

Visitor centers and campgrounds at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial were to close by 5 p.m. or earlier Wednesday, as was ocean-side beach access for off-road vehicles at Cape Hatteras.

The reservation system for Ocracoke Campground has also been suspended until further notice.

Earl was expected to bring high winds to the Outer Banks but not to make landfall.