Fall in Texas is something else! The weather borders on exceptional, the skies take on a blindingly bright blue hue, and there’s a freshness in the air that excites the spirit and rewards us for enduring a hot summer. What many people don’t know, however, is that in addition to the great weather, parts of Texas also host an exhibit of fall foliage that rivals that of the northeastern United States. Don’t believe us? See what Travel and Leisure had to say about fall foliage in Texas.
Nature
No Need To Travel Far To See Fall Foliage: Texas Boasts Some of the Best!
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Lost Maples State Natural Area
Photo: Facebook/LostMaples
For the best fall foliage, folks head to Lost Maples State Natural Area, located in Vanderpool, Texas. Just a couple of hours northwest of San Antonio, Lost Maples State Natural Area is home to Uvalde bigtooth maple trees, which really show off their colors during the late fall. People come from all around to see the beauty of these majestic trees as their leaves change from bright green to rich shades of orange and red in late October through November.
What Makes Leaves Change Color?
Photo: Facebook/LostMaples
What happens to make these trees at Lost Maples State Natural Area change color? In the fall, the hours of daylight decrease and this, coupled with a change in the temperatures, causes the leaves to stop their process of making food. According to the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, “The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.”
More Than Just Fall Foliage
Photo: Facebook/LostMaples
People come to see the foliage at Lost Maples State Natural Area, but they stay for the hiking, bird-watching, and amazing stargazing. In fact, Lost Maples has an exceedingly dark sky, which means that more stars are visible than in many other areas. For instance, Lost Maples scored a three on the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale (which measures how well you can see objects in the night sky). The scale ranges from Class 1, which are the darkest skies available on Earth, through Class 9, which would include large, inner-city skies.
To learn more about Lost Maples State Natural Area and to plan your trip, be sure to follow them on Facebook. Beginning in October, they will post fall foliage reports, indicating when the colors are beginning to change on the trees in the park. This will give you an idea of when the best time to see the most color will be. You can also visit their website for more information.
