The day after Labor Day, as if on cue, five houses on my street suddenly have their fall wreathes or other autumn decorations up. Including mine. It’s also the perfect day for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to launch their Fall Foliage Prediction Map. The map itself is all green right now, with just a bit of yellow along the Canadian border, but you can change the date with a slider. The image above is the map for the week of October 16. That might be the best time to schedule a drive through the Smokies, but wherever you go, there’s a peak week for leaf-peeping.
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The site also wants your feedback, with a survey that simply asks you to report the progress of fall foliage of your area today, and this year you’ll have the ability to contribute current photographs of the colors you are experiencing in your neck of the woods. This data will help fine-tune next year’s map. And there’s a lesson in how and why leaves change color from their chlorophyll green to the bright autumn colors underneath produced by beta-carotene, anthocyanins, and flavonols. Plus you’ll find a printable coloring book for the kids, and recipes for seasonal treats: pecan pie, moonshine apple pie, and pumpkin spice latte. Bookmark the Fall Foliage Prediction Map so you can plan a weekend getaway to a place that’s going to be spectacular.
Source: neatorama