Leaves Hold On: Fall's Not Quite Done

Find hue-bright foliage before winter says its first hello.

DECEMBER'S SOFT CHANGES: When the final month of the year says its first hello, a person begins to think of the coldest season in earnest. After all, paper snowflakes are making appearances in school windows, and candy canes on store shelves, and animated snowmen are dancing on our television screens. December=wintertime in many minds, even if, technically, it is an autumnal month, primarily (or at least for the first three weeks). But December's take on fall is different from October's, and the biggest signs of the mellow stretch, colorful leaves, have mostly put on their annual show and bid us adieu (by, of course, gently and poetically drifting to the ground). Still, though, it is autumn, even in December, and russet leaves cling to some branches, and a few golden leaves and tawny berries, too. It reminds us to get one last eyeful of fall's finest foliage, if we can find it. And a solid place to look is the...

CALIFORNIA FALL COLOR BLOG: The annual tribute to the Golden State's golden-leafy look revs up in summer, when the tips of the first leaves are losing their green, right past Thanksgiving, though not by much. It's still going for the year, with looks at Yosemite and redwood color, and the lower elevations continue to put on a colorful show. Finding a botanical garden, or a spread with a vibrant variety of flora, is a good bet in early December, though, of course, it won't be quite the same visual as coming across a grove of aspen trees fluttering in the October wind. Call it a gentler approach to autumn, the one that arrives near the close, the graceful goodbye. For one last look at the 2016 show, call upon the photo- and tip-filled blog, which dutifully, and with a delight in nature's wonders, covers the whole state's leaf show for the second half of each year.

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