October 17th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

Here we are, mid-October, and reports indicate that the leaves are dropping quickly. With wet conditions the past few days and some wind in the forecast for the weekend we may see significant leaf loss through the next week. Fall seems to have taken hold across the state with the west near or at peak foliage and areas east slowly following suit. Most of the Eastern Shore has yet to substantially change, but we see signs that will change soon. 

 

“I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived.
And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift.”

– Dodinsky

Join us as we follow the transition each week with reports from our experts at our state forests and parks. This year for the first time, we welcome all of Maryland’s outdoor enthusiasts to send in photos capturing the beauty of the fall season. Please use the submission form to submit your entries directly to us. Your photo might be selected to appear in a future edition of the Fall Foliage Report!

Sign up to receive this report to your email inbox  every week in fall.

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Garrett County, Maryland

Finzel

Backbone Mountain

Areas of good color can be found throughout the county… it just isn’t an especially vibrant year. With the extended warmer temperatures and rainfall we have experienced this fall, maples that turned early are starting to shed their leaves and the oaks are beginning to slowly change to shades of golden yellow and brown. One benefit of the warmer temps and rainfall — they create the perfect environment for mushrooms! Edible mushrooms such as hen of the woods, chicken of the woods, lion’s mane, and many others are in abundance right now. Some edible mushrooms are easy to identify while others are more difficult. Be sure to positively identify any wild mushrooms before consuming. Melissa Nash Forester/Garrett Project Manager, Forest Service

Lions Mane

Hen of the Woods

Chicken of the Woods

 

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Allegany County, Maryland

Fall foliage this year (bottom photo) compared to last year (top photo) is markedly different, as seen in these contrasting photos taken on October 14, 2020 and October 14, 2021 of the trees around the Maryland Forest Service office in Allegany County.

 

The leaves are coming down, temperatures remain higher than normal, and woodstoves remain untouched here in Allegany County. Large swaths of fall color are hard to come by due to leaf drop, but views along the ridges are pleasant. Daniel B. Hedderick – Forest Service Allegany County