Fall colors are starting to appear thoughout the northeast and the Rocky Mountain areas. These colors peak in the next few weeks.
Maples and Sweet Gums, Oaks and Tulips trees are all starting to turn from green to vivid shades of yellows and reds. A hillside covered with these trees glows in the late summer sun. The leaves turn as the nights get cooler and the days get shorter. The color that they turn is dependant on the species and sometimes cultivar. Beech trees (Fagus ), Tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) and some maples(Acer spp.) all turn bright yellow in the fall, whereas Oaks (Quercus) Sweetgums (Liquidabler styraciflua) and some Sumacs species turn vary shades of red and burgundy.
The peak times to see these colors are featured on many state web pages but start in the Northeast and upper Midwest in late September, go on until mid November in the southern reaches of the Appalachian mountains and the South West. As peak time in the north is fast approaching, take the time to see these colorful scenes and enjoy the festivals that occur in the towns and villages to celebrate fall.
