And Just When You Thought Foliage Season was Over

[edmcguirk]

During the last week of October I took a trip to the Northeast Kingdom to photograph Vermont's lesser known "Third" foliage season. The First season is the well known Maples, Beeches and other hardwoods. The Second season is that of the Oaks and late Beeches. And no, the third season is not Stick Season, rather it is the season of Tamarack trees. The Tamarack or Larix laricina, is also known as the American Larch. The Tamarack is a deciduous conifer, which is a pine tree whose needles turn yellow in autumn before they fall off in winter. The Tamarack is commonly found in wet boggy areas of the boreal forest, which means the Northeast Kingdom is one the best places in New England to see them.

The Tamarack needles do not turn yellow until late October, when nearly all the other trees have lost their leaves. Tamaracks also commonly grow in large stands of trees, similar to the aspen groves seen in Colorado. What I enjoy most about the Tamarack is that they create a bold splash of color against the otherwise stark, gray landscape of stick season. There were several large stands of Tamaracks along Route 2 between Saint Johnsbury and Marshfield, with the best ones near W. Danville. There were many smaller groups of trees scattered around the NEK, with some nice stands along the Danville to Peacham road. I also found some near Marshfield Pond. During the two days I spent photographing tamaracks I was fortunate to have overcast and foggy conditions, which allowed the rich colors of the needles to stand out better.

If you want to see my 2019 NEK Tamarack images, you can visit this gallery on my photography website
https://www.edmcguirkphoto.com/p1042393582

Or you can see a few images in these attachments (click on the image to view larger)

[ctyanky]

Hi Ed! Just so you know, foliage season is never over for me! There's always a place in my heart for Vermont and foliage season and I can close my eyes and remember every beautiful image from my trips up there. As a matter of fact, plans are already being tossed about for 2020!

This is a great post and I have a new found love for tamaracks (larch) as we saw many stands when on the peacham barnet road and the barnet center road. They were not developed yet but everywhere we looked, we saw them. Once you can spot them, they really "stand" out!

Your website contains the most beautiful set of tarmarack stands I have ever seen in Vermont! I hope you at least put the town or perhaps a general location. I'm thrilled you found some at Marshfield Pond, which as a matter of fact, has become my most favorite of all ponds I have seen during the foliage season. It has a kind of "intimate" feel to it; it is such a hidden gem.

Thank you for posting these awesome shots. It is lovely to see how bright them are against the green or bare trees. Kudos for you for hitting it spot on!

I'll probably be up to southern Vermont sometime during stick season to get my last "shot in the arm" before the snows arrive!

See you before autumn 2020! CT

[edmcguirk]

Thank you ctyanky, I'm glad that you enjoyed my tamarack collection. I'd like to think that it is a good illustration that foliage does not only have to be about peak color, even stick season has it's own subtle beauty thanks to the tamarack tree.

[loafer89]

We are done with Fall foliage here in Enfield, but this was scene earlier this week on 10/29/19. The Oaks put on a good display this Fall

[Utah Baker]

Ed, these are just wonderful. I love Tamaracks, there is a stand of them up our local Canyon and I love watching for them to change after all the other foliage is done. They stand out so brilliantly against the evergreens. Thanks for sharing these late season beauties.

[edmcguirk]

loafer 89 and Utah Baker, thank you for stopping by to take a look, i appreciate your comments.

loafer 89, I agree, we had a a very good season for oak color in eastern Massachusetts as well (until this past week's wind storm). I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but I have a large oak tree in my front yard, and this year is a bumper crop for acorns. I read an article in the Boston Globe that said every 5 to 7 years oaks produce a an extra heavy level of acorns. I wonder if that cycle is tied into a good year year for oak leaf color too. ctyankys forester buddies probably know the answer to this question.

Utah Baker, I knew there were larch trees in the Canadian Rockies and the Pacific northwest, but I did not know they extended into Utah as well, thanks for the information.

I have been photographing New England autumn color for over 25 years now, and am constantly seeking fresh interpretations of the fall season. I had never visited the NEK this late in the season before, and I was very pleasantly surprised by the subtle beauty of tamaracks during stick season.

[Colorado Mom]

Beautiful pics!! So happy that some people are still getting to enjoy the fall colors. We have had our 2nd if not 3rd snowfall in Colorado so they are long gone here. I never get tired of looking at the pics and wish it wasn't over I so love Vermont and its spectacular foliage