Fall foliage

Fiery autumn leaves along Highway 2 near Seattle burst from the foliage. (Ken Lubas / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 16, 2014 6:41 AM PT

It’s officially fall, and the delicate, ephemeral dance that transforms summer’s deep greens into autumn’s sunset-colored hues has begun across the nation.

Silver Cascade delights passersby on Route 302 near Crawford Notch, N.H. (Rosemary McClure / LAT)

Leaves have taken on fall colors at this pond on the Saco River (near the Wiley Historic House) on Route 302 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. (Rosemary McClure / LAT)

Leaves have taken on fall colors at this pond on the Saco River (near the Wiley Historic House) on Route 302 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. (Rosemary McClure / LAT)

Autumn foliage frames Rosita Ponce of Orange, who reads the Bible by the lake at Irvine Regional Park. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A few of the fiery red maples leaves that can be seen on a canoe ride along the Housatonic River in Conn. (Patrick Raycraft / Hartford Courant)

A group of hikers trek along the slopes near Aspen, Colo. against a backdrop of yellow aspen trees. (Nathan Bilow / AP)

Maple leaves, sprouting from a tree trunk alongside Westlake Lake, display the colorful flourish of autumn in Ventura County. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A large maple tree near Harrisville, W.Va. shows its fall colors. (Jeff Baughan / AP)

The fall air is crisp and the roads are lined with golden fall foliage in Pine Mountain Club, a planned community in Kern County, Calif. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

A man clears the fall foliage with a leaf blower in Little Rock, Ark. (Danny Johnston / AP)

Autumn foliage engulfs the Congregational Church in South Woodbury, Vt. with a palette of bright red and orange. (Toby Talbot / AP)

A woman walks her dog amid the autumn colors of Port Gamble Port, a historic mill town in Washington. (Larry Steagall / AP / The Sun)

A group of aspen trees behind a row of mailboxes begin to show their fall colors in Rocky Mountain National Forest south of Estes Park, Colo. Prime viewing of Colorados autumn colors can be found at Independence Pass Road, southeast of Aspen, Colo. The peak of color is from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5. (Bret Hartman / AP)