Busting the myth that California doesn’t have cold

If Vermont has leaf peepers, what does California have? Redwood watchers? Cactus contemplators?

It turns out you don’t need to fumble with semantics. California has leaf peepers, too, they’re just working on a more subtle level. And similar to the later months of the year on the East Coast, you’ll find them out in force right now basking in the vast changing of colors: from summer’s green to brilliant yellows, electric blues, deep purples and lipstick reds.

Folks who don’t notice the West’s seasonal color shift are “not looking very hard,” says Lara Kaylor of CaliforniaFallColor.com (motto: “Autumn Happens Here, Too”).

Kaylor is the website’s self-described “Leaf Peeper in Charge” who manages a network of 100-plus “color spotters” sending in tips from all over California. (Become one by