The month of October has been one of the most colorful in recent years. Baring any stiff winds that would defoliate the trees, fall colors could last into the first couple weeks November.
Leaves are the part of the tree that absorb sunlight and use it to transform carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch which make the tree grow.
This process (photosynthesis) takes place in the leaf in cells containing chlorophyll, which gives leaves their green color. While other colors are present in the leaves, green is the dominate color that masks the other colors.
During the fall, chlorophyll breaks down due to the decreased amount of sunlight a tree receives in combination with cooling air temperatures. As the chlorophyll breaks down, the other colors which were masked by the dominate green color become more visible. While this process is taking place, other chemical changes take place and form anthocyanin pigments.
Some of these changes show up in red and purple hues in trees such as sumacs, dogwoods and maples. The amount of chlorophyll varies from tree to tree; thus, the various colors you see in the fall are a result of the mixture of chlorophyll and other chemicals in the particular tree.
The greens you see in the autumn foliage are mostly conifers such as pines, spruces, hemlocks and cedars. These trees have needles, which are actually leaves that stay green the year round, and some trees don’t shed their needles every year with needles staying on the trees two to four years or more.
With most pine trees, older needles are shed in the fall and 1- and 2-year old needles stay on the tress. Nature does this so that winter snows will have less cross sectional area on the tree for snow to gather on.
If the pine tree retained all its needles, the winters snows would break a lot of branches on the soft wood white pine tree.
Here are some places where you can get a great view of nature’s beautiful colors.
• One place that is just south of the Trenton area is the scenic overlook off Interstate 295. The overlook offers you a view at the river and its tree-lined shorelines at the bend in the river just up from where the Crosswicks Creek flows into the river.
On the north-bound side, the overlook gives you a look at the Trenton marshes up from the Crosswicks Creek. A pedestrian bridges goes across I-295 and allows you to walk from one overlook to the other.
• If you are into the paddling sports, one of the best ways to view the autumn colors is to paddle the D&R Canal which runs from the Delaware River at Bulls Island to Trenton (it passes under the freeway in the Trenton area and is not passable for boats) and from Mulberry Street to its confluence with the Raritan River. Numerous small bridges cross the canal and most have enough space from which to launch a canoe or kayak. One of the most scenic sections is that which lies between Providence Line Road and the locks in Kingston.
Another feature of the D&R Canal is the two paths along the Delaware from West Trenton to Milford. If you are a peddler, the path is paved with packed gravel and makes an ideal way to view the fall colors of the Delaware River while riding a bike without dealing with the traffic along Route 29. It makes an excellent place for a family ride with the kids.
• Our area has a pair of covered bridges that are very picturesque. One the Keystone Commonwealth side, the covered bridge in Tyler State Park crosses the Neshaminy Creek and is accessible via a walking trail in the park. The one remaining covered bridge in the Garden State is located in Rosemont, just north of Stockton and crosses the Wichechoke Creek.
Creek Road, which runs from just up from where Route 519 meets Route 29 (Stockton Bend) to the Covered Bridge makes for an easy couple hours walk that not only gives you a look at the bridge in its fall colors but the scenic Wichechoke Creek along the Wichechoke Creek Greenway.
• There are many scenic spots on the Delaware River; however, one of the most eye-pleasing is the section that lies between the town of Millford and the upriver Raubs Island. A narrow road runs from Milford north to the island with a good part of the road being right at the base of the cliffs. The road is elevated above the river and gives you a scenic look at the rock studded river and its spectacular colors.
It’s not uncommon to see eagles, osprey and other soaring birds riding the air currents of the cliffs along this section of river.
• If you are looking to paddle into a marsh that time has forgotten smack dab in the middle of civilization, the Millstone River is right up your kayak. Your launch point is in the Millstone River at the Aqueducts in Princeton. You can paddle upstream and under Route 1 then into the backwater marshes that run all the way to the nature preserve which is on the river between Plainsboro and Grovers Mills. The marsh is home for egrets, water fowl and all kinds of birds, beavers, muskrats and other wildlife — all of which make for some great viewing and photography in the autumn setting.
Saltwater fishing was sparse this past week. The shutdown of the sea bass fishery left bottom fishermen with only porgies, ling and one tog a day for which to fish. Capt. Bob Quinn of the Ocean Explorer said porgy fishing is good and most anglers are taking their one tog on his trips. Capt. Chris Heuth of the Mohawk told me he too regrets the sea bass fishing shutdown as the fishing was very good. He said his boat is now fishing for porgies and tog on its daily trips. The Paramount has been into good numbers of ling, along with some tog and cod on her Mud Holes trips, said Capt. Francis Bogan. Levittown, Pa., angler Bill Morris enjoyed a good pull of ling on a recent trip. The Dauntless has been putting anglers into a mix of porgies, ling and tog, along with occasional cod on her daily trips, reports Capt. Butch Egerter. Capt. Bob Bogan’s Gambler had a couple of successful offshore trips. Yellowfin in the 60- to 80-pound class dominated the catch. Likewise, the Jamaica also has been into decent offshore fishing when she has been able to sail. Bluefishing continues to be very good, and increasing amounts of stripers are starting to show up on daily trips, reports Capt. Al Shinn of the Miss Belmar Princess.
Low water conditions continue to plague the fishing. Some local lakes are starting to see a build up of leaves. Dam spillways are also very low below some lakes. I got reports of bass, crappies and occasional pickerel being caught in Lake Mercer, Carnegie Lake, Assunpink Lake, Stone Tavern and Rising Sun Lake. Anglers fishing the canal between Carnegie Road and Kingston from kayaks and canoes are catching bass and pickerel, mainly on live bait.
I got reports of a few smallies and walleyes being caught in the river from Scudders Falls to Upper Black Eddy — no big numbers, just a slow bite, mainly in the morning on live bait. In the river south of Trenton, a mix of white perch, crappies, bass and catfish are being caught in the tidal coves on the last few hours of the incoming and the first couple hours of the outgoing water.
One place where low water conditions are fueling some good fishing is in the South Jersey Pine Barrens where cedar waters are supplying some very good pickerel fishing on swimming plugs and live-lined minnows. Colliers Mills, Horicorn Lake, the bogs off Route 70 (west of Lakehurst) and Atsion Lake are some of the hot spots.
Contact J.B. Kasper at email@example.com