Foliage is brilliant as fall now really starting to show its true colors.

• Position: Sports

For those of us in Worcester County, it's time to see red. Red maple, that is. This spectacular species is arguably our local foliage's most flaming attraction, peaking early every fall until about Oct. 11.

So don't wait. Its ephemeral display -- especially around wetlands -- is very susceptible to the vagaries of wind and rain. Some leaf-peepers who wait for the main foliage spectacle here in mid-October miss the red maple show entirely.

Red maples have two other outstanding variants, either striking yellow or bright orange. But the fiery reds provide our deepest color statement.

Other local tree species explode early, too. Bright yellow ashes drop their leaves soon after Columbus Day weekend, followed shortly by yellow aspens. Worcester County has some later-turning, beautiful sugar maples, but there are far more oaks and Norway maples here. The latter aliens -- particularly evident around our cities -- are most vibrant in late October.

Fortunately, we have one last great color explosion in early November, when our scarlet oaks become most brilliant. Their late, splashy beauty, so evident in isolation, was captivating enough for Thoreau to exalt it in his writing. Scarlet oaks love dry acid soils, so they thrive on ridges like those around Uxbridge. When in Moby Dick, Melville's Ishmael spoke of depression and identified a damp, drizzly November in his soul, he wasn't aware of scarlet oaks.

Northern-latitude leaf worshippers around the world from Lake Ashino in Japan to the Kashmir Valley of India, to the parklands of England are presently marveling at their spectacle. But our New England foliage -- especially in the northern mountains -- can't be matched most years. The potential is there for vast, rising stretches of contrasting color to elevate our eyes and aesthetic spirits. There, an elevation-dependent parfait of chromatic splendor can thrill us -- if conditions are right.

Frustratingly, foliage can vary greatly from year to year. Seasons in 2012 and 2013 were disappointing. Northern foliage never peaked. It was often pleasing, but seldom dazzling. Great foliage years leave us in awe. This year, abnormally dryer and cooler in the North, may prove one of the best autumns of the decade. But even this year, timing and location can prove as challenging as searching for the Holy Grail.

Every year, I drive from Massachusetts to the Canadian border around Sept. 30, surveying Vermont and New Hampshire hoping to be thrilled from Burke and...