Fagus Watch 2013

[Davo1]

Hasn't changed much in the last week. Although some it in the right light looked like it was starting to turn quite well and it wouldn't surprise me to see a huge difference by the end of the weekend.
These are from from today 24th.

[Buddy]

L Fenton needs at least till Sunday for good colour.

[GerryDuke]

With strong winds forcast for a few days there may not be much left by Sunday.

[freemandale]

I'll be in Tassie in just over a week and at Cradle shortly after that. Any Fagus by then? Autumn is the best time of year and Tassie is hard to beat for colour (and chill). Coming from SA I am really forward to my autumn fix - walking season has just started here and it is still too warm and sunny! Got to make use of all that thermal and wet weather gear somewhere!

[ryantmalone]

I'll be in Tassie in just over a week and at Cradle shortly after that. Any Fagus by then? Autumn is the best time of year and Tassie is hard to beat for colour (and chill). Coming from SA I am really forward to my autumn fix - walking season has just started here and it is still too warm and sunny! Got to make use of all that thermal and wet weather gear somewhere!

Its usually around the Anzac Day weekend when the Fagus turns, any later and you're taking a bit of a gamble.

That said... I'm hoping it puts on a show this weekend, otherwise I'll be going back home to Melbourne disappointed!!

[stepbystep]

from today on Hounslow Heath. Plenty of green about still.

[Davo1]

from today on Hounslow Heath. Plenty of green about still.

Plenty of green but what is the blue stuff?

I couldn't even see the mountains today let alone anything blue.

[stepbystep]

It was nice until at least 1.30 when I left.

[greyim]

today near Brewery knob cradle

[gayet]

Well hopefully more colour around Mt Field next weekend. But the hot summer and mild autumn certainly appear to be slowing it down. But then I have spring bulbs flowering now.

[PeterJ]

?........Where is a N. gunnii around Mt Wellington. Can't say I've ever come across it. Am I blind?

I have been pretty familiar with Wellington Park for a long time and have never seen any. Plenty of cunninghamii though.

Peter

[doogs]

Well worth a trip up to the Cradle area in the next week, the fagus is just getting to its best

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[ryantmalone]

Just spent two days around the Little Horn area.

Fagus is looking utterly amazing at Lake Hanson, Twisted Lakes, and was quite remarkable at Lake Wilks with all the waterfalls flowing strongly.

I'll put some pics up later on, drying out after getting rained on, snowed on, etc. was a hairy night up there.

[Doonish]

Agreed Ryan, fagus was gorgeous at Twisted Lakes, and up through to Ranger Hut, blending with the pencil pines. Cut a trip short after similarly unpleasant weather.

[ryantmalone]

Agreed Ryan, fagus was gorgeous at Twisted Lakes, and up through to Ranger Hut, blending with the pencil pines. Cut a trip short after similarly unpleasant weather.

Was pretty amazing, although my photos do it little justice.

Today, it became far more vibrant around Lake Wilks, and around the rangers hut.

After the night I had with those winds, I was more keen on getting down asap, but here's a few that I got from yesterday and today.







Now is definitely the time to get up there. Noticed that a lot was blown away last night with those winds around Lake Dove, however there are plenty of reds out now, and the contrast in colors is insane walking through the muddy areas between Lake Hanson and Twisted Tarns. Was hard to get any clear shots today due to the weather, but especially around Lake Wilks, its just gorgeous.

[GerryDuke]

Thanks all for the conributions. Great photos. Tuesday might be the go.

[Davo1]

From today.
Had to wait this morning for the rain to ease before heading off.
Rained nearly all the way in, stopped whilst in there, made it out and down came the rain again. Gotta be blessed sometimes.
Hope these look alright on here.
Hansons lake side is in front of Crater Lake as far as colour is concerned.

[MrWalker]

Does the lack of any further discussion here mean that the fagus season is over?
Would I be wasting my time going to Cradle Mt this weekend to see any leftover fagus?

[ryantmalone]

Does the lack of any further discussion here mean that the fagus season is over?
Would I be wasting my time going to Cradle Mt this weekend to see any leftover fagus?

By no means was it at its peak last weekend, but it was well on its way.

The problem is that it has been incredibly windy up there over last weekend, and much may have been blown away. Would be worth a visit though!

[stepbystep]

Head to Hounslow Heath, it's more protected perhaps. I was there the other day and still had plenty of turning to be done. The forest is stunning!

[festivus]

Has anyone been up to Mt Field to see the fagus in the last couple of days? Just wondering if its worth heading up on Sunday, or if the wind and snow has done for it this season.

[Tortoise]

Does the lack of any further discussion here mean that the fagus season is over?
Would I be wasting my time going to Cradle Mt this weekend to see any leftover fagus?

There was still plenty to enjoy yesterday, though getting towards the end. Best we saw was around Lake Wilks

[whynotwalk]

Has anyone been up to Mt Field to see the fagus in the last couple of days? Just wondering if its worth heading up on Sunday, or if the wind and snow has done for it this season.

I was there last Saturday (27th) and would suggest it was still short of its peak. It was VERY windy but there were still plenty of green leaves, and the golden leaves were clinging on well. I reckon Sunday or later could be pretty good timing for Tarn Shelf - and a week later for Lake Fenton. Here are a few pix from last Saturday.

cheers

Peter

[walkinTas]

Tortoise, love that last shot with the golden colour on the water.

[starjump]

Has anyone been up to Mt Field to see the fagus in the last couple of days? Just wondering if its worth heading up on Sunday, or if the wind and snow has done for it this season.

I was there last Saturday (27th) and would suggest it was still short of its peak. It was VERY windy but there were still plenty of green leaves, and the golden leaves were clinging on well. I reckon Sunday or later could be pretty good timing for Tarn Shelf - and a week later for Lake Fenton. Here are a few pix from last Saturday.

cheers

Peter

I was up around Tarn Shelf on Tuesday (30th), still some green around, here are some pics

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[Nuts]

Nice photos, I do like yours from Twisted Tortoise, Very Nice.

[andrewbish]

What an amazing plant! I will get over there next Autumn to check it out.

[stepbystep]

Haven't seen any reds yet. Sorry about the quality but I was being blown awaaaaaay....

[Nuts]

What turns them red? I spent three days based at Waldheim just looking for red one year with nothing like that.. yet some years they are more common. I never found any study specific to Fagus in a search..

[stepbystep]

This is what wikipedia says I assume it applies to fagus too. I've also heard the same process occurs in the bark of snow gums to give us those nice red colours in the bark. None of which was evident on my last trip.

Pigments that contribute to other colors

Carotenoids are present in leaves the whole year round, but their orange-yellow colors are usually masked by green chlorophyll.[1] As autumn approaches, certain influences both inside and outside the plant cause the chlorophylls to be replaced at a slower rate than they are being used up. During this period, with the total supply of chlorophylls gradually dwindling, the "masking" effect slowly fades away. Then other pigments that have been present (along with the chlorophylls) in the cells all during the leaf's life begin to show through.[1] These are carotenoids and they provide colorations of yellow, brown, orange, and the many hues in between.

The carotenoids occur, along with the chlorophyll pigments, in tiny structures called plastids within the cells of leaves. Sometimes they are in such abundance in the leaf that they give a plant a yellow-green color, even during the summer. Usually, however, they become prominent for the first time in autumn, when the leaves begin to lose their chlorophyll.

Carotenoids are common in many living things, giving characteristic color to carrots, corn, canaries, and daffodils, as well as egg yolks, rutabagas, buttercups, and bananas.

Their brilliant yellows and oranges tint the leaves of such hardwood species as hickories, ash, maple, yellow poplar, aspen, birch, black cherry, sycamore, cottonwood, sassafras, and alder. Carotenoids are the dominant pigment in coloration of about 15-30% of tree species.

Anthocyanins

The reds, the purples, and their blended combinations that decorate autumn foliage come from another group of pigments in the cells called anthocyanins. Unlike the carotenoids, these pigments are not present in the leaf throughout the growing season, but are actively produced towards the end of summer.[1] They develop in late summer in the sap of the cells of the leaf, and this development is the result of complex interactions of many influences — both inside and outside the plant. Their formation depends on the breakdown of sugars in the presence of bright light as the level of phosphate in the leaf is reduced.

During the summer growing season, phosphate is at a high level. It has a vital role in the breakdown of the sugars manufactured by chlorophyll. But in the fall, phosphate, along with the other chemicals and nutrients, moves out of the leaf into the stem of the plant. When this happens, the sugar-breakdown process changes, leading to the production of anthocyanin pigments. The brighter the light during this period, the greater the production of anthocyanins and the more brilliant the resulting color display. When the days of autumn are bright and cool, and the nights are chilly but not freezing, the brightest colorations usually develop.

Anthocyanins temporarily color the edges of some of the very young leaves as they unfold from the buds in early spring. They also give the familiar color to such common fruits as cranberries, red apples, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums.

Anthocyanins are present in about 10% of tree species in temperate regions, although in certain areas — most famously New England — up to 70% of tree species may produce the pigment.[1] In autumn forests they appear vivid in the maples, oaks, sourwood, sweetgums, dogwoods, tupelos, cherry trees and persimmons. These same pigments often combine with the carotenoids' colors to create the deeper orange, fiery reds, and bronzes typical of many hardwood species.