Botanist shares fall’s native plant diversity on Black Hills National Forest

The Black Hills are a forested “island in the plains,” known for its pine-clad hills, which straddle the border of South Dakota and Wyoming. The northern Black Hills located south of Spearfish, S.D., are rich with native plant diversity and wildlife habitat that display an array of beautiful and subtle changes in the fall. Don’t forget to enjoy the scenic drives as well.

 

 

 

Kids and Kids at Heart Can Enjoy Making and Sharing a Digital Leaf Press

This time of year brings back fond childhood memories. Fall’s increasing chill and leaf-covered ground take me back to elementary school, where nature and the changing seasons served as learning material. A favorite lesson I learned was how to create a book of pressed leaves.

 

 

 

 

Share the joy of a botanist’s annual pilgrimage to the Darlingtonia Fens of the eastern Klamath Mountains

I dreaded October as a child. Growing up on the Oregon coast, October promised rain and more rain—rain on my birthday, rain on Halloween, rainy rain rain.

What a difference 300 miles and the rain shadow of a mountain range makes! October here in far northern California on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest brings me nothing but pleasure.

 

 

Forest Service wants you to get in where you fit in!

Every fall, nature puts on a dazzling show across America’s great outdoors for all of us to see. Whether you’re an adventurist or someone who just likes a good road trip, national forests are the places to be this time of year.

 

Site highlights North Carolina scenic drives

Visitors to Leaf Viewing in Western North Carolina will see photos and get directions to enjoy the kaleidoscope of glorious leaf colors North Carolina has to offer.

 

 

 

 

Maple syrup flow threatened

Forest Service research indicates that climate change will affect habitat suitability for maple trees, threatening the multimillion dollar maple syrup industry.

 

 

 

 

Consider the alpine larch in the northern Rocky Mountains

Do you think that all evergreen conifers are always evergreen? In general, that’s true but the forested landscapes of the northern Rocky Mountains offer an amazing colorful exception to this each fall with the spectacular shows of the Alpine larch (Larix lyallii).

 

 

 

Fall colors on Alaska’s national forests offer beautiful vistas

Ever think about fall colors in Alaska?  Now’s the time with autumn foliage colors peaking from late August to early October in Alaska’s Tongass and Chugach National Forests.

Fall colors usher in autumn in the Rocky Mountains

In Colorado, fall arrives in different ways and at different times around the state. Fall can be a spectacular time of year here, with gorgeous colors set against a dusting of white snow on the higher peaks and the occasional late blooming wildflower

 

 

 

Fall wildflowers are part of the fall colors parade in the east and south-central United States

Fall is a wonderful time to find an amazing array of wildflowers on your national forests and grasslands. But before you venture out, take a moment for a sneak preview on the U.S. Forest Service’s Fall Colors web site for a few ideas to plan your visit.

 

 

 

Fall colors the muskeg on Alaska’s Tongass National Forest

Muskegs, a colloquial term for peat bogs, blanket 10 percent of the Tongass National Forest. These wetlands range in size from a few square feet to many acres. Over the ages, muskegs formed as Sphagnum mosses, rushes and sedges grew and built up spongy carpets in these very wet, almost treeless areas.