ColorFall Week 6 Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park

Pennyrile Lake October 30, 2013

Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park should reach peak color this weekend. The oaks, which are usually the last family of trees to change have begun to show color. Currently the park and the surrounding state forest are at approximately 75% color change. Some of the trees that showed color early in the season have already lost their leaves. We are seeing some fall color in poison ivy and Virginia creeper vines that can be seen climbing trunks of trees. Many of the blackgums and sourwoods are showing off their peak reds.  Sassafras is turning shades of red and orange. Flowering dogwoods are turning shades of purple and red. Maples in the area are showing off red, orange, and yellow.   We expect some fall color to hold through early November.

Flowering Dogwood beside the Lodge Meeting Room

Flowering Dogwood is this week's showcase tree.  Flowering dogwood is a small shade tolerant tree that can be found across Kentucky.  The tree is beautiful in the fall due to its red or purple-red fall foliage.  In the spring it has pretty white cross shaped flowers.  The wood of the hard and extremely shock resistant which is why it used to be used for weaving shuttles. Native Americans used the aromatic bark and roots for a remedy to malaria.  They also extracted red dye from the trees roots.