Desecration and beauty all mixed together

Early October, and these mountains are already beginning to put on their glorious garments of autumn. A splash of red here or orange there, the green sleeves of many trees shading to yellow. In just a few weeks, we will be treated to that familiar splendor that beckons tens of thousands of people to get in their cars every year and drive for hours or even days just to get a glimpse of it. 

Fall comes to the Smokies

Fall is a beautiful but busy time in the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitors should plan their trips and expect crowds, traffic congestion and limited parking throughout the park. 

Word from the Smokies: Fall adventure supports research into park biodiversity

As days grow shorter in the Great Smoky Mountains, the colorful landscape hums with life. Creatures large and small scurry through the blanket of fallen leaves gathering nuts and berries, crafting intricate homes to wait out the winter, and preparing for the stillness of the season ahead. 

The Joyful Botanist: Turtleheads

There are many different wildflowers that signal the seasonal transition from summer into fall. 

I used to be overcome with the melancholy of fall when I would see the goldenrods (Solidago spp.) start to bloom, thinking “No, it’s too early for the end of the blooming season and the start of winter!” That’s how I used to think of fall. Goldenrods no longer usher in the sadness for me as I have successfully reframed them as a summer wildflower that blooms into fall. 

Cradle of Forestry announces fall events

The following are the Cradle of Forestry’s fall events: 

Sept. 28: National Public Lands Day

Times: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission: Free 

Fall into Darnell Farms

The annual corn maze and pumpkin patch will return through Oct. 31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. 

This must be the place: ‘There’s an eagle and he keeps on flying, over the mountains capped in white snow’

Hello from Cabin 156 at Tryon International, the massive equestrian center and event facility along U.S. 74, just down the mountain from Saluda. The mountains in the distance remind me of the beauty of my home that is Western North Carolina.

Fall Plant Sale at Lake Junaluska

The Lake Junaluska Fall Plant Sale will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym at Lake Junaluska. 

Already leaning into the fall season

Once Labor Day has come and gone, I lean fully into fall. I know that technically autumn does not officially begin until Sept. 22, but for my own personal joy, I’ve decided to initiate the season sooner.

Notes from a plant nerd: Going to seed

Want to hear a corny joke about an oak tree? That was it. 

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