A Favorite Time of Year for the Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge Parkway is well-known for its pretty trails and scenery along the drive, but let’s face it: the most popular time of year to visit this area is the fall, when the leaves are at their most colorful. Roads and woods alike are covered in swathes of golds, reds, and oranges as the summer leaves us.

We love celebrating the fall when apples are ripe for picking, pumpkins sit on neighborhood stoops, and the crisp air ever so slightly takes our breath away. We wanted to share some pretty fall photos with you since we are gearing up for the big “holiday” – that’s right, it’s a holiday to us!

Check out our slideshow for just a handful of photos submitted to us from readers-seriously, this is just a small sample of the amazing submissions! We’ll be releasing more photos as the season continues and stay tuned when we announce the winner of our Fall Photo Contest in our next issue of Blue Ridge Country magazine!

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March’s Mountain Wildflower: Rue Anemone

A member of the buttercup family and found in the open woodlands, rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) has long, thin stems that tremble in the slightest of winds—prompting its other common name, windflower.
Pokeweed growing in Floyd County, Virginia.

January’s Wild Edible: Pokeweed

Pokeweed is one of the wild plants that is most associated with the Blue Ridge Region.
A purple-spored puffball growing in a field in Botetourt County, VA.

December’s Wild Edible: Purple-Spored Puffball

The purple-spored typically grows in this region’s fields, often appearing from October through December and into early January.
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Ride the Rails, Explore Rockbridge County: Make a Weekend of the 611 in Goshen!

This fall, one of America’s most iconic steam locomotives is making tracks and memories.
The compound, lancelike leaflets of the bitternut are a good identifier.

November’s Wild Edible: Bitternut Hickory

Frankly, this native species to the Blue Ridge mountains comes by its name honestly.
Mullein growing in Ingram's backyard.

October’s Wild Edible: Mullein

Earlier, this year, a lone mullein plant appeared along the fence that encloses my garden, which made me curious about this plant.
An indigo milk cap growing in Botetourt County, Virginia.

September’s Wild Edible: Indigo Milk Caps

When young, indigo milk caps are one of the most stunningly beautiful mushrooms in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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September’s Mountain Wildflower: Spotted Jewelweed

Seek out spotted jewelweed growing beside a stream or along a moist area and you will have a good chance of getting to watch one or more ruby-throated hummingbirds flit from flower to flower.
A black staining polypore growing in Botetourt County, VA.

August’s Wild Edible: Black-Staining Polypore

The black-staining polypore is certainly one of the more fascinating wild edible mushrooms.
Northern Dewberry growing in Botetourt County, Virginia.

July’s Wild Edible: Northern Dewberry

For several reasons, the northern dewberry is often overlooked as a summer berry in the Blue Ridge.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS