Delmarva's Autumn Palette

Fall foliage along the Pocomoke River beside LSLT's office. PC: Jared Parks

Where do you go for fall colors? New England? East Texas? Colorado? These displays are all unique due to the very different assemblages of tree species present in each location. The western states wow with mountainsides covered in bright yellow aspen, and New England impresses with its diverse forests of maple, oak, ash, and hickory, but I would argue that you really don’t need to go anywhere. 

The forests on the Delmarva provide quite the show right here in our own backyards. Our native deciduous forests are some of the most diverse in the Country, and it is this diversity that adds such a wide variety of color and texture to the fall landscape. We may not have the iconic overlooks of the Adirondacks, Skyline Drive, or the Blueridge Parkway, but our fields, forests, and marshes provide wide open vistas that accomplish the same thing. 

For my part, I would stay right here on the Pocomoke River (or Nassawango Creek) where the southern swamp meets the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain and the resulting diversity of vegetation gives rise to an impressive fall exhibition. Bright yellows and golds, vibrant reds, fiery oranges, and, my favorite, the rusty bronze of the bald cypress. 

Fall foliage in Delmarva.

For those looking for a different type of fall show, take a trip to one of our tidal marshes for a display unsurpassed by any forest. Bright red salicornia, golden brown spartina, and purple sea lavender creates a subtle but equally beautiful effect. 

While you are enjoying the fall foliage don’t forget the other fall colors. Field edges glow in the fall with goldenrod and sunflower, and, if you look carefully, you may see a myriad butterfly species, including monarchs, swarming these flowers as they prepare for winter.

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