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Every year anticipation builds as fall approaches. Autumns can be glorious in West Virginia as leaves turn from green to gold. And every year we wonder what kind of a year will it be for color. Although much is known about why leaves change color, every year is different. So it�s difficult to predict how vivid the colors will be and what the timing will be. But here are some rules of thumb for where to best appreciate the first colors of autumn in West Virginia. Highland Scenic Highway - 2012 Highland Scenic Highway Leaves first start changing color at high elevation, so it�s best to start in the highlands. Although it varies yearly, fall foliage colors generally peak at high elevations in the last week of September to the first week in October. The Highland Scenic Highway (SR 150) is generally radiant with fall colors at that time of year. The Highway runs along the spine of the Allegheny Highlands in Pocahontas County, reaching more than 4,500 feet in elevation on Black Mountain. I l...

Most people drive the Highland Scenic Highway for the scenery�and rightly so. There�s not another highway in West Virginia that offers such continuous vistas. Nevertheless, as the Parkway crosses high elevations, it creates and accesses some unique environs for plant communities. Wildflowers and meadows thrive in the abundant rainfall of the high country. Particularly in the summer months, I find as much to see and enjoy by the side of the road as at the vistas. Indeed, it seems as if the entire 23 mile length of the Parkway is lined with summer wildflowers, both common and rare. It�s like a narrow garden winding across the summits of the Allegheny Highlands. So if you like colorful wildflowers, now�s a good time to drive the Highland Scenic Highway. It�s bursting with color, especially yellow. Starting at the north end off of US 219, Phyllis and I drove the Highway last Friday (Aug 19, 2016), and found large patches of wildflowers lining the roadway.  It all started at the Red Lic...

John Muir once wrote: "To the sane and free, it will hardly seem necessary to cross the continent in search of wild beauty, however easy the way, for they find it in abundance wherever they chance to be." Guided by the words of Muir, my wife and I are always on the lookout for �Wild Beauty.� It seems Wild Beauty comes naturally to West Virginia where nature is always at work casting beauty in unlikely places. For instance, last Tuesday (August 9, 2016), we went in search of a purple fringeless orchid that had been spotted on the Highland Scenic Highway by a member of the staff at the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center. Having a rough idea of where the orchids were located, we slowly drove the Highway looking for them. On our second pass, we caught sight of them. Growing on a tall central stalk they stood out from the grasses and ferns growing by the side of the road. Purple Fringeless Orchid Purple Fringeless Orchid That�s what amazes me about Wild Beauty. Like gold, it�s where...

Most people drive the Highland Scenic Highway for the scenery�and rightly so. There�s not another highway in West Virginia that offers such continuous vistas. Nevertheless, as the Parkway crosses such high elevations, it creates and accesses some unique environs for plant communities. Wildflowers and meadows thrive in the abundant rainfall of the high country. Particularly in the summer months, I find as much to see and enjoy by the side of the road as at the vistas. Indeed, it seems as if the entire 23 mile length of the Parkway is lined with summer wildflowers, both common and rare. It�s like a narrow garden winding across the summits of the Allegheny Highlands. TEA CREEK MEADOW Across from the Little Laurel Overlook north of the Williams River crossing, lies the Tea Creek Meadow (GPS: Lat. 38.341527, Long. -80.163410). This 40-acre man-made meadow is composed of fill dirt created by the road cuts on the Parkway and is chock full of wildflowers all summer long. Early in the summer, b...

While cruising the Highland Scenic Highway a few years ago, my wife, Phyllis, and I spotted a young couple hunched by the side of the road photographing something in the ditch. Being a photographer, this piqued my curiosity, so of course we stopped. We discovered that the young lady was a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Biology at Duke University. The two had found a somewhat rare fen orchid just a few inches tall. Phyllis and I are wildflower enthusiasts, so we shared in the excitement of their find. But we weren�t entirely caught off-guard by the discovery. Wildflowers Abound Earlier that day, we had already found and photographed some large purple fringed orchid plants along State Route 39/55. Moreover, we were en route to a patch of wild columbine along the Highland Scenic Highway. We knew the wildflower delights this highway had to offer. Indeed, wildflowers are as much a part of the Highland Scenic Highway experience as the scenic views from which it draws its name. Large Pu...