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Maryland’s fall season might not be so colorful, predictions show

Sunday marked the official start to fall. But if you鈥檙e looking forward to seeing some vibrant autumn colors this season, Maryland may not be your best bet.

Many of the state鈥檚 trees are changing color earlier than usual this year due to drought, according to the state鈥檚 . Marylanders should expect to see more yellow and gold tones, and fewer reds and purples.

Western counties such as Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick and Carroll will see leaves change two weeks ahead of schedule due to extreme drought in the area.

鈥淲hile we will still have a fall color display, I anticipate it may peak earlier than normal and we will see more muted colors and more yellow to golden tones as opposed to vibrant colors, again due to lack of moisture,鈥 forester Melissa Nash in Garrett County says.

A forecast predicting Maryland's fall foliage in 2024.
A forecast predicting Maryland’s fall foliage in 2024. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources)

If you are desperate to see those fall colors, officials said you might not be completely out of luck. Vibrant native flowers such as aster and goldenrods can be found this time of year. Forester Bob Schwartz described those flowers as 鈥渢ruly belles of the fall ball.鈥

鈥淭hese species groups are highly important for pollinators working to provision their eggs for winter and come in all shapes and sizes,鈥 Schwartz says. 鈥淭he purple of New England aster strikingly complements the golden hues from their frequent cohabitating goldenrods, directing more pollinators to each other.鈥

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Grace Newton

Grace Newton is an Associate Producer at 海角社区app. She also works as an associate producer for NPR 海角社区appcast. Grace was born and raised in North Carolina but has lived in D.C. since 2018. Grace graduated from American University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in journalism and minor in art history in 2022.

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