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In todayâs edition:
It feels and looks like fall: Use our interactive map see where the colors of the season are popping in Pennsylvania.
Aurora borealis: Yes, it really happened, at this time of year, in this part of the country. It was a surreal display.
âNone of this is normalâ: Itâs Orange October in the world of giant record-breaking pumpkins.
âïž Your weekend weather outlook: Great for outdoorsy activities. Expect a mix of sun and clouds, with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s. Wondering where the typical late fall storms are? Tony Wood explains how Phillyâs growing dry spell is connected to Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
â Paola PĂ©rez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)
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Swaths of the Keystone State are seeing shades of yellow, red, orange, brown, and purple. Believe it or not, weâre already halfway through the fall foliage season. It might be a short one, and we simply canât miss this transformation.
Thankfully, Charmaine Runes came through with a creative map showing when and where we can expect to catch these glorious palettes across the commonwealth.
The color-coded map indicates when the leaves are:
đą not yet changed
đĄ starting to change
đ near peak
đŽ at peak
đ€ starting to fade
Right now: You can catch đŽ peak colors đŽ in some northeastern counties, and the leaves are đ near peak đ in most northwestern and north central counties. Philly still isnât expected to peak for two to three weeks.
Check out the best spots to admire the colors. And look out for next weekâs update, right here in Outdoorsy.
News worth knowing
A major Pennsylvania natural gas producer has racked up air quality violations and faced criminal charges for skirting state pollution laws for years. The company now says its fracking operations pose âno public health risks,â but climate activists are skeptical.
Three Chester County men are accused of poaching âdozens upon dozensâ of trophy bucks in Chester and Delaware counties over the last two years.
Philadelphia transportation officials are recommending $4.8 million in safety upgrades to bike lanes along some heavily used bike lanes, including concrete elements to protect cyclists from motor vehicle traffic.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed for a record-breaking $4.2 million settlement with Philadelphia Energy Solutions over a refinery explosion and fire that rocked the city five years ago.
Did you catch the northern lights? The rose-colored northern lights became visible over parts of the Philly region Thursday night for the first time in over 20 years. (If you managed to take a pic, Iâd love to see it! đ)
đ€ Now weâre passing the microphone to Jason Nark. Youâll always find his work here.
ENON VALLEY, Pa. â In the valley of giants, pumpkins heavier than grand pianos rest atop cushioned pallets waiting to be weighed, while the mad scientist who grew them from tiny seeds sized them up from afar.
âNo, not those ones,â farmer Dave Stelts says on this late September afternoon. âThose are just the babies.â
Like a Captain Ahab obsessed with gourds, Stelts, 65, stared farther off, his eyes fixing on the four, larger orange humps that rose amid a sea of leaves as big as elephant ears and vines thicker than human arms. That couldnât possibly be a pumpkin patch the size of a basketball court. No way those behemoths could be actual pumpkins. It was, and they were.
Steltsâ eyes gleamed, a smile spreading across his face, as he did calculations in his mind. Itâs no small task to weigh a pumpkin that breaks a ton, but width times height gives growers like Stelts an estimate, and this year, finally, he thinks one could break the Pennsylvania state record of 2,404 pounds. âMaybe more than one,â he says. â Jason Nark
Itâs all in Narkâs full feature story. Go inside the wild world of competitive giant pumpkin growing.
đž A calming view
đł Your outdoorsy experience
After our search for peace and quiet in our region, Kellie Flanagan of Fairmount wrote in to share her go-to place away from the âhustle and bustleâ of the city:
âMy first choice to escape from city life is the Horticultural Center and it always includes a nice pause at Shofuso. To me, the Horticultural Center has it all. I love trees and every time I go there I enjoy wandering around and noticing a tree I hadnât seen before. I also appreciate the art throughout the grounds, particularly the sundial. My favorite spot to to sit and take everything in is in the gazebo.â
Learn more about this serene green space in West Fairmount Park.
đź Give us a review of your outdoors experience for a chance to be featured in this newsletter. Email me back here.
Our next adventure awaits.
âI donât know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.â â Vincent Van Gogh
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