Fall Foliage Map 2018: When Autumn Leaves Peak In Virginia

VIRGINIA — While it's officially fall, it will feel like summer this week in northern Virginia, but fall temperatures will inevitably arrive and leaves will soon change colors to blazing reds, vibrant oranges and sunny yellows. Exactly when will that happen in the Commonwealth and DC? You can't know precisely, but there's a tool to help you plan excursions around the dates when fall foliage should be at its most fabulous.

To get vivid leaf colors, we need crisp autumn nights, and Virginia hasn't reached that stage yet, resulting in only minimal foliage colors so far. But summer heat and above normal rainfall this year should produce some stunning views, says The Foliage Network.

The Fall Foliage Prediction Map, found on the Smoky Mountain National Park website, includes predictions not just for the Smokies, which rise above the Tennessee-North Carolina border, but for all 50 states. In northern Virginia, fall colors are expected to peak around the week of Oct. 22, although it will happen around Oct. 29 in the rest of the state.

Our state offers some stunning vistas, including several in state parks suggested by the Virginia Department of Forestry:

• Prince William Forest Park is an oasis of natural beauty and human history located only 35 miles south of Washington, DC.
• Charlottesville area: Greene County.
• Harrisonburg area: Rockingham County tour directions | Shenandoah County tour directions
• Lexington area: Bath and Warren Counties tour directions
• Roanoke area: Bedford County tour directions | Craig County tour directions | Franklin County tour directions
• Staunton area: Highland County tour directions

And Visit Fairfax offers these suggestions for nearby foliage:

• The George Washington Memorial Parkway
• Great Falls Park, 9200 Old Dominion Dr, McLean
• Burke Lake, 7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station
• Lake Accotink, 7500 Accotink Park Road, Springfield
• Huntley Meadows, 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria
• Riverbend Park, 8700 Potomac Hills Street, Great Falls
• Mason Neck State Park, High Point Rd, Lorton
• Fountainhead Regional Park, 10875 Hampton Rd, Fairfax Station
• Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct, Vienna

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If you’re planning a trip somewhere else, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map can help you pinpoint the best dates for a visit.

And The Foliage Network posts regular updates on when leaves start to drop and the colors start to turn.

You probably remember from science class that the color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to stay healthy — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green to the human eye.

But leaves aren’t green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves’ big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a halt. The colors in fall’s breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park’s website.

For example, beta-carotenes reflect the yellow and red light from the sun and give leaves an orange hue. The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf’s life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows that make you feel as if you’re walking in a ray of sunshine?

They’re produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It’s always present in leaves, but doesn’t show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.

Photo by Patch Editor Beth Dalbey