A patch of bright red here, a little light yellow there and a smidge of orange around. Leaves are starting to change color in Pennsylvania but most aren't quite ready for their full show yet.
Peak fall foliage is two to three weeks away in most Pennsylvania counties, according to a Sept. 26 report from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. DCNR puts out weekly fall foliage reports from late September throughout October. This year's first covers Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 and indicates only three of the state's 67 counties — Somerset, Wayne and Pike — were approaching best color, with their peak a week away.
Six counties — Philadelphia, Lancaster, Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery and Chester — were showing no change in the first report. The remaining 58 — including Erie and Crawford — were starting to change, with peak fall foliage approximately two to three weeks away, according to DCNR.
In an overview for the state, DCNR said that after several periods of dryness during the growing season, much-needed summer and early fall rains helped stave off premature leaf drop, keeping forest canopies green. Cold nights, coupled with prevailing dry conditions during late August and early September stimulated noticeable color changes throughout Penn's Woods. Fall foliage viewers should expect a vibrant season that arrives sooner and lasts for a slightly shorter period compared with recent years.
Colorful trees in Pennsylvania: A 'fantastic' fall foliage season is expected this year
Here's a look at what was going on during the first fall foliage week report in the DCNR regions across Pennsylvania:
Northwestern region
Colors were changing in the woods of Erie, Crawford and Warren counties, starting with reds and light yellows. As of the Sept. 26 report, fall colors were most evident in the understory and along roads and fields.
- Erie : The city is in an area where leaves are marked on a DCNR map as starting to change, with peak at least a couple weeks away.
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Northcentral region
Forests were beginning to change in counties including Elk, Cameron, Clinton, McKean and Potter, according to the first DCNR report. Clinton, Tioga, Lycoming, Sullivan and Bradford counties were also starting to see leaf changes. The peak could come around mid-October.
West-central and southwestern regions
Forests in Armstrong, Beaver and Butler counties were beginning to change colors while birches were starting to turn yellow in Jefferson and Clarion counties, according to DCNR's first weekly report. Counties such as Indiana, Blair and Cambria were still in the early stages.
With all of southwestern Pennsylvania experiencing some level of drought, DCNR said to expect earlier than normal fall color and accelerated leaf drop there. Somerset County was one of the farthest along, being already near peak the week of Sept. 26-Oct. 2.
- Beaver : In this area, many red maple and black gum trees were well into their fall color transition, showcasing vibrant reds and oranges, DCNR said. But the peak was still a couple weeks away.
Central and southcentral regions
This part of the state — including Perry, Cumberland, Franklin, Adams, Union, Centre, Mifflin, Bedford, Schuylkill, Carbon and more counties ― was mostly in the early stages, with peak not expected until mid- or even late October, according to DCNR.
- York : This southcentral city is in an area that was beginning to show some change but peak fall foliage was still expected to be several weeks away.
Northeastern region
The area that includes Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wyoming, Susquehanna and Wayne counties was showing early signs of the fall transition, according to the first DCNR report. Pike and Monroe counties also had leaves starting to change.
- Honesdale : The borough is in Wayne County, which DCNR said was furthest along for the region, with northern hardwoods contributing impressive color. Peak foliage could arrive there in early October.
- Poconos : This popular part of Pennsylvania spans multiple counties and DCNR regions. With the exception of Wayne and Pike counties, where the color change was farther along, the Poconos were just starting to see the fall foliage change, with peak not coming for two to three weeks.
Southeastern region
The region around Philadelphia, which includes Lancaster and Bucks counties, was mostly showing no change in leaf color, according to the report that came out Sept. 26. The peak for leaf change could be up to a month away there, according to DCNR.
When do the leaves change?: These maps show when and where to see peak fall colors in the U.S.
Why are Pennsylvania's leaves so colorful?
Pennsylvania has a longer and more varied fall foliage season than any other state in the nation, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. That's due to the location of the Keystone State, which is in eastern North America, one of only three regions of the world that support deciduous forests that display fall autumn color.
Additionally, Pennsylvania's location between 40 degrees and 42 degrees north latitude and its varied topography from sea level on the coastal plain to over 3,000 feet in the Laurel Highlands supports 134 species of trees and many more shrubs and vines that contribute to the display of autumn color, according to DCNR.
Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com .
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: When will the leaves change color across Pennsylvania? Here's what we know
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