There's been some significant fall color change at the Arboretum in the last week, so we're launching our annual Fall Color Report with Alan Branhagen, the Arboretum's director of operations. Branhagen supervises capital improvements, horticulture, natural resources, plant curation, facilities and information technology. He is the author of The Midwest Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden, Native Plants of the Midwest: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 500 Species for the Garden and The Gardener's Butterfly Book. Beyond public garden management, Branhagen is an all-around plantsman and naturalist, specializing in botany, birds and butterflies.
Watch for Branhagen's weekly updates throughout the season.
Weather Update
The early cold snap (two record low highs the first week of September) and three nights of 39F appear to have set fall color on sugar maples closer to their historic averages. Arboretum director Pete Moe told me that the last weekend in September used to be the peak of sugar maples, and I remember them coloring up in September as a young man in the 1970s, too. Recently, it has been around October 10.
Early Changes
Sugar maples are usually early, but many vines, like our Virginia and grape creepers, also turn brilliant red early. Buckeyes and black walnuts are also some of the first trees to color and lose their leaves, along with white ash, which typically turn purple.
Season Preview
Sugar maples are running two weeks ahead of the recent average -- but it remains to be seen for the other trees. Oaks are usually later, and tamaracks are one of our latest coloring native trees. Buckeyes are coloring up nicely and some black walnuts are also a good yellow, right on schedule.
While the sugar maples are ahead of schedule, many species of trees are still green, and the return of summerlike weather may delay some fall color. The only other factor right now is our dry weather. With no significant rain in sight, some plants may simply turn color and go dormant early for winter.
Finding Fall Color
The sugar maples are starting to turn vibrant colors. Find them in:
- The native Big Woods of sugar maples behind the Sensory Garden.
- Maple tree trials along Eastern Drive close to Farm at the Arb.
- The big sugar maple next to the Wilson Rose Garden.
Stay up-to-date with fall colors at the Arb by turning on the "Fall Color Report" layer of our digital map.