Delayed start to the leaf season

Clemson University’s official leaf watcher recommends a little patience to all who want to take in the fall colors.  As the weather cools, there’s the urge to take to the mountains to see vibrant palates of autumnal hues.  While the first colors of fall peeking cause excitement, Clemson’s Don Hagan says, a delayed start to the leaf season is not necessarily a bad thing.  Hagan is in his 11th year making fall foliage predictions.  He made his annual trek this month to the Blue Ridge Parkway to observe the conditions.  Hagan stood at 5,500 feet in elevation at the edge of the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, North Carolina.  The surrounding canopy still completely green.  The trees, he believes. await the right signal from nature.  The first couple of weeks of October, maybe even the third week, should be nice in the upper elevations.  For those of us in the vicinity of the Clemson campus, some fall color may emerge in the final days of September in species such as black gum, sourwood, and dogwood.