It’s time to go leaf peeping in southern Maine, particularly in areas west of the Maine Turnpike. The fall colors are popping, the weather is, for the most part, sunny (though a few showers are forecast today) and a walk or a drive through nature’s autumn wonderland can brighten the day, literally.

While much of the foliage east of the turnpike is still green as of Monday afternoon, interior York County is peppered with bursts of orange and deep red and yellow. The color isn’t at peak yet – the latest state foliage report suggests about 30 percent of the leaves have turned color – and a drive from Biddeford west to Dayton, Lyman, Waterboro, Limerick, Newfield and Sanford Monday, mostly over back roads, suggests that is correct.

Gail Ross, who coordinates Maine’s foliage report for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation, said she believes the colors will be near peak within the next seven days.

“This will be the weekend,” Ross said in a telephone interview this morning.

And while she’s keeping an eye on the weather forecast for rain – and wind that could hasten leaf drop – she believes there will be color in southern Maine next week, particularly along coastal sections. Areas along the coast are the slowest to change, because of the ocean influence.

Whether you’re looking at a farm field bordered by a variety of foliage, a patch of roadway arched with towering maple trees or a river framed by red and gold, it’s pretty out there.

According to the Maine Foliage Report, updated each Wednesday in the fall, leaves change color when the production of chlorophyll slows down – leaves already have green, red, orange and yellow pigment, but the green is dominant during the summer. Rainfall, sugar content in the leaves, wind and prolonged periods of cool, bright sunny days without a killing frost influence color, according to the state website.

A drive on Monday afternoon from Biddeford to Sanford – the long, back road way around – saw a bit of color emerging on South Street and River Road. The color heightened along portions of Buzzell Road, past cows grazing in pastures and brilliant patches of color along some of the wooded areas. A left on Route 35 through Goodwin’s Mills village saw reds and orange and green leaves amid the white clapboard homes and churches. A right onto John Street and South Waterboro Road followed by another right on Clark’s Woods Road saw some color before the road looped back onto South Waterboro Road and later, Hamilton Road in Waterboro. Route 5 to Limerick saw color and the view from the Carroll lookout down to Sokokis Lake was just short of stunning – and will likely live up to that adjective within the next few days.

In Newfield Monday, 19th Century Willowbrook Village was marking its last open day of the season, and even though the museum buildings will be closed now until next season, the road through the village is lined with high maple trees, all decked out in their autumn colors.

The drive continued down Route 11 to Springvale and Sanford, with stops to see the big maples and the Mousam River at Springvale Recreation Area, where families were relaxing and taking advantage of the holiday.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].