Mountain divided by strong autumn foliage

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In many parts of the world, the foliage turns color each fall before the leaves fall to the ground for the winter months. This can give way to beautiful patterns and designs in forests, depending on the tree species in a particular area.

A particular mountain in eastern China puts on a more dramatic show each fall, when only one side of a road shines bright reds while the opposite side retains its normal shade of green.

Mount Xiezi is located in the city Jinan in China’s eastern Shandong Province. Mostly surrounded by buildings, parts of the mountain have escaped urban development and are now a tourist attraction every fall as the foliage only changes color on half of the mountain.

Fall foliage in Jinan, China (Newsflare)

One side of the mountain is covered in “smoke trees” while the other side is made up of conifers (pines), according to Xinhuanet. Conifers stay green all year round while smoke trees are deciduous, meaning they turn bright reds in autumn and lose their leaves every winter.

The effect that gives the mountain such an unusual look is the sharp line along its top that separates the two species of trees. There are a few reasons for this, but the most likely reason is deforestation.

“Based on satellite imagery for the past 35 years, it appears that it was previously cleared for agricultural use but has not been used for agriculture for at least 18 years, which is time for that [smoke trees] to grow, “said Jesse Ferrell, Senior Weather Editor, AccuWeather.

Since other mountains nearby have similar-looking conifers, it seems possible that most of the mountain was once covered in evergreen plants. The side of the mountain that bursts with color every year may have been cut down at some point in the past. After all of the existing trees were removed and agriculture subsided, the smoke trees likely took over the landscape.

This particular location in China is not alone with this phenomenon. Early this fall, a North Carolina freeway seemed to part the fall colors, also viewed from a drone. Extreme leaf speeper Reed Timmer says it was a pretty spectacular fall in the Carolinas.

Fall colors in NC via drone

Drone footage by Jared Hoopingarner dated October 3, 2021 shows Highway 221 near Grandfather Mountain, NC, with red trees mostly to the right of the road. (AccuWeather “Weather Allowed” photoblog)

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Another reason half of the mountain might show an abrupt change in color could be wildfire that burned only one side of the mountain. The line along the top of the mountain could have been the line of fire where the firefighters managed to stop the flames. In the course of the fire, all the existing trees died and the smoke trees took over. Regardless of the cause of the phenomenon, Xiezi Mountain shows an unusual and vivid display every fall.

For all who see the spectacle, the dry season in the region begins in autumn, and AccuWeather Meteorologists expect largely dry weather over the weekend until at least the beginning of next week.

Check back for the latest weather news AccuWeather.com. Check out the AccuWeather network on DIRECTTV, border, spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.

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