Colors ready to fall on first day of Autumn
By DAVID FITZGERALD - dfitzgerald@nwherald.com
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| C.J. George, 3, of Hawthorn Woods helps out his mother Christina George (not pictured) by holding on to the bags of apples they picked Monday at Royal Oak Farm Orchard in Hebron. Today marks the first day of fall. (Lauren M. Anderson – landerson@nwherald.com) |
With a summer as cool as this past year’s, today’s transition from summer to fall might be barely noticeable.
But not for long.
Sunny, summer days and cool, summer nights already have started to give way to a fabulous show of crimson, orange and golden fall foliage.
“My crystal ball says ‘it is going to be a nice
fall,’ ” said Doris Taylor, who heads the plant clinic at the Morton Arboretum.
Taylor said that, although the summer – especially August and September – were drier than usual, they also were cooler than usual. Had the dry spell been accompanied by intense heat, as is common, trees would have shed their leaves before they had a chance to turn.
“That really puts a lot of stress on plants,” Taylor said.
Instead, the sunny days and cool nights helped trap sugar in the leaves, which gives them the vibrant red hue when the season changes, she said.
Some autumnal events through the McHenry County Conservation District already have filled up, communications manager Wendy Kummerer said. But plenty of scheduled events still have space for those looking to take in fall’s full glory in McHenry County.
A fall bike ride on the Prairie Trail is scheduled for Oct. 10, and a historic re-enactment of an 1850s corn harvest is slated for Nov. 1 at the Powers-Walker House in Glacial Park near Ringwood.
And for those wanting to experience the season on their own, Kummerer said, the MCCD offers some great vantage points.
“Visitors can walk amidst fall’s fiery colors and along various hiking trails through woodlands, over kames and along moraine ridges,” she said.
Top six places for foliage in the McHenry County Conservation District:
1. Coral Woods in Marengo is a favorite fall colors hike by visitors who enjoy the blaze of red, gold, yellow and orange painted hues that fill the trees and then carpet the forest floor throughout the 297-acre maple forest.
2. Marengo Ridge in Marengo offers quiet, peaceful spots along a variety of looped nature trails ranging from .5-mile interpretive trail describing the natural history of the area to the 2.6-mile Kelly Hertel Nature Trail.
3. Hickory Grove Highlands, Lyons Prairie and Marsh and the Silver Creek Conservation Area in and around Cary create a great refuge for wildlife and a favorite hiking spot for visitors.
4. Glacial Park in Ringwood offers the most spectacular scenery and the most extensive trail network.
5. Rush Creek in Harvard offers a 1.5-mile interpretive hike or a longer 2.75-mile trail flanked by hickory, white and red oak, and black cherry trees.
6. Brookdale Administrative Center in Woodstock is a great spot to spy the reflections of color off the 11-acre pond. This 1,200-acre site offers a 150-yard tree-lined paved trail that winds around the lake to a fishing bridge and picnic shelter.
Source: McHenry County Conservation District
