Fall color as of Wednesday, October 23, 2024

The full colors of fall are arriving at The Morton Arboretum. With so many trees from around the world, the Arbortum’s tree collections, landscapes, and woodlands show a wide range of color, with golds and yellows sparked by scarlet and orange.

Shades of yellow and gold can be seen on Kentucky coffeetrees, tree lilacs, hackberries, Miyabe’s maples, redbuds, bottlebrush buckeyes, lindens, magnolias, ironwoods, witch-hazels, hickories, corktrees, bur oaks, elms, tulip trees, yellow buckeyes, honey locusts, and sugar maples.

Make a point of visiting the Oak Collection (Parking Lot 8) and the Maple Collection (Parking Lot 14). Both are in full fall glory!

In the East Woods (parking lots 8–14) and other woodlands, sugar maples are taking center stage, yellow with touches of orange. Mixed in with the sugar maples are linden, elm, bur oak, and ironwood, also sporting gold and yellow.

Flashes of red can be seen on sumacs, oak-leaved hydrangeas, viburnums, and some Asian maples.

The full color season is upon us. The Arboretum’s collections, woodlands, and landscapes offer a constantly changing experience of color, sounds, and smells. Each day brings a new palette of colors to enjoy, so visit often to experience the wonders of fall!

Fall color as of Wednesday, October 16

More colors are developing in the trees of The Morton Arboretum this week as a result of cooler nighttime temperatures and warm sunny days. Recent rainfall has helped brighten some of the colors, too. So far, they are mostly shades of yellow, though oranges and reds are beginning to show in sugar maples and sumacs.

Reds have also developed on Freeman maple trees in the parking lots, along with yellow leaves on coffeetrees, tree lilacs, hackberries, Miyabe’s maples, redbuds, and bottlebrush buckeyes. Oak-leaved hydrangeas are displaying their usual dark-purple fall leaf color.

In the Arboretum’s tree collections and across its landscapes, pines continue to show gold in their oldest needles, which drop every year. Buckeye trees and shrubs near Parking Lot 6 are mostly bare of their leaves. Various shades of yellow and brown can be seen on corktrees, redbuds, honey-locusts, hickories, elms, tuliptrees, yellow buckeyes, magnolias, witch-hazels, lindens, bur oaks, ironwoods, black walnuts, and hackberries.

In the woodlands, the layer of plants along the ground is mostly yellow and brown. Trees such as lindens, elms, bitternut hickories, walnuts, and ironwoods are turning yellow, while some orange and red can be seen in the tops of sugar maples where leaves are most exposed to sunlight. Sumacs and flowering dogwoods in sunny and dry sites have turned red and started dropping their leaves.

In the Schulenberg Prairie (Parking Lot 25), grasses are turning their autumn russet and yellow colors as they set seed. A variety of asters in shades of blue add brighter color.

If cool nighttime temperatures continue and more rain falls, it will allow plants to develop brighter and longer lasting colors in the weeks to come. At the moment, it looks like the next one to two weeks will have the best color of the season so far.

All through autumn, the Arboretum’s collections, woodlands, and landscapes will offer a constantly changing experience of color, sounds, and smells. Each day brings a new palette of colors to enjoy!

Fall color as of Wednesday, October 9

The change to fall color has begun to speed up at The Morton Arboretum, due to cooler nighttime temperatures and warm sunny days, although it is still in the early stages.

Look for early yellows and browns in the tree canopy and some leaves dropping from trees and other plants in parking lots. Some buckeyes near Parking Lot 6 have already dropped most of their leaves. Many bottlebrush buckeyes in the Arboretum’s collections and landscapes are flowering for a second time this year due to the warm weather, with a few fluffy white blooms. Yellow and gold colors can be seen on corktrees, redbud, honey-locust, and hackberry trees, with some leaves turning brown and falling.

In the Arboretum’s woodlands and natural landscapes, the leaves of plants nearest the ground are turning yellow and brown. Asters continue to bloom in shades of periwinkle and blue. Overhead, the tree canopy is still mostly green, but patches of yellow and orange can be seen in the tops of sugar maples in sunny areas. The shiny green foliage of Sumac shrubs exposed to direct sun has begun to turn a flaming red, while flowering dogwoods are dropping their dark reddish leaves.

In the Schulenberg Prairie on the Arboretum’s West Side, native grasses are setting seed and showing their fall russet and yellow colors. Various fall asters are adding dabs of blue and purple here, too.

The seasonal displays near Arbor Court, The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden, Thornhill Education Center, and the gatehouse are teeming with colorful pumpkins, pansies, chrysanthemums, and ornamental cabbage.

In the coming weeks, cool nighttime temperatures, warm sunny days, and—we hope—more rainfall will help trees and other plants develop brighter and longer-lasting fall color.

Sure enough, autumn is here. The Arboretum’s collections, woodlands, and landscapes offer a constantly changing experience of color, sounds, and smells. Come outside and enjoy!

Fall color as of Wednesday, October 2

Autumn colors are coming slowly but surely to The Morton Arboretum. The warm weather that lasted through the end of September has slowed the changes, but as the weather turns cooler, with nighttime temperatures dropping into the 50s, more fall color is likely to develop soon.

In the next few days, look for early yellows and browns with some very early leaf drop on plants growing in the Arboretum’s parking lots. There are muted reds on Freeman maples, while coffee-trees, tree lilacs, hackberries, Miyabe’s maples, and redbuds are turning yellow or pale green.

In the Arboretum’s tree collections and landscapes, you will see pines with their oldest needles turning yellow and falling, a normal occurrence. A lone Ohio buckeye near Parking Lot 2 has turned a rich, warm reddish-brown. Buckeyes near Parking Lot 6 are showing bare branches with brown or reddish-brown leaves on others. Many bottlebrush buckeyes are blooming for a second time this year because of the late warm weather. Yellow can also be seen on corktrees, redbud, honey-locust, and hackberry trees.

In the Arboretum’s woodlands, the layer of plants along the ground is still predominantly green, although some yellow and brown leaves are beginning to appear. Goldenrod and snakeroot are finishing their bloom and beginning to set seed, while Drummond’s aster still have blue flowers. Trees overhead are still green, with paler greens emerging on the tops of taller trees more fully exposed to the sun.

A few vines of Virginia creeper and poison-ivy have begun to turn red, though vines in deep shade still remain green. Sumacs in sunny or drier sites have started to turn red, while flowering dogwoods in similar sites are beginning to drop their dark reddish leaves.

In the Schulenberg Prairie, grasses are maturing and turning their fall russet and yellow colors. Blooming color is added by a variety of fall asters, mainly in shades of blue.

The main color show is yet to come, given cool night-time temperatures, warm sunny days, and hopefully adequate rainfall to allow plants to develop brighter and longer-lasting colors.

Autumn is the season of change, and our collections, woodlands, and landscapes offer a constantly changing experience of color, sounds, and smells. Come outside and enjoy!

Fall color as of Wednesday, September 24

The tree-filled landscapes of The Morton Arboretum are displaying only the first few hints of fall color. Most of the tree collections and woodlands remain green.

In the Schulenberg Prairie (Parking Lot 25), grasses are maturing and turning to their fall colors of russet and gold. Scattered among them are a variety of blooming fall asters , mainly in shades of blue.

In stressful sites such as parking lots, some trees are showing early yellows and browns with a bit of very early leaf drop. These colors, which often are muted, may be seen on parking lot Freeman maples, Kentucky coffee-trees, tree lilacs, hackberries, Miyabe maples, and redbuds. The period of drought that preceded this week’s rain is also a factor in early leaf changes and muted colors.

Pine trees in the Conifer Collection and elsewhere are showing their normal fall needle drop. It is normal for pines’ third-year needles to turn yellow and then fall off.

In the Buckeye Collection near Parking Lot 6, many buckeyes have bare branches or brown or reddish-brown leaves. The late warm weather this summer has caused a few bottlebrush buckeye shrubs to open a scattering of some blooms for the second time this year. Corktrees, redbuds, honey-locusts, and hackberries are showing yellowing and dry leaves nearby.

In the Arboretum’s woodlands and landscapes, late-blooming flowers include goldenrod (yellow), Drummond’s aster (blue), and snakeroot (white). The leaves of plants along the ground are turning a paler green, but most branches overhead still are deep green. A few vines of Virginia creeper and poison-ivy have begun to turn red, though those vines in deep shade remain green. Sumacs and flowering dogwoods in sunny or drier sites have begun to turn red.

The aftermath of this summer’s cicada emergence can be seen on some trees where the tips of some branches are turning yellow or brown while the rest of the tree remains green. Those are branches where female insects laid their eggs.

The timing and vividness of the coming fall leaf color season will depend on the weather and rainfall in the next few weeks. After a long period of heat and dry weather in August and September, the soil is still very dry. Dry weather with warm nights typically results in paler, duller colors and earlier leaf drop. If the weather changes to bring cool nighttime temperatures, warm sunny days, and adequate moisture, it may allow the plants to develop brighter and longer-lasting colors.

Autumn is a season of change and every autumn is different. The Arboretum’s collections, woodlands, and landscapes always offer new experiences of color, sounds, and smells. Come outside and enjoy!

Fall color as of Wednesday, September 18 

Hints of fall color can be seen in parts of The Morton Arboretum’s tree collections and woodlands. These changes are mainly the result of stress on trees from heat and dry weather this summer and fall.

Plants in the Arboretum’s parking lots have an especially stressful growing environment, and they reflect this by turning color earlier, with muted or dull colors. Look for early yellow and brown colors this week on parking lot Freeman maples, coffee-trees, tree lilacs, hackberries, and redbuds.

In the tree collections and landscapes, pines have started their normal fall changes, with third-year needles turning yellow and falling. Buckeyes near Parking Lot 6 are showing brown or reddish-brown leaves or bare branches from early leaf drop. Corktrees, redbuds, honey-locusts, and hackberries are also showing dry and yellowing leaves.

In the woodlands and landscapes at the Arboretum, flowers in bloom include goldenrod (yellow), Drummond’s aster (blue), and snakeroot (white). Trees overhead are still green, though some paler greens may be seen on the tops of the taller trees in exposed sites. A few vines of Virginia creeper and poison-ivy have begun to turn red, though in deep shade the vines remain green.

In the Schulenberg Prairie, grasses are maturing and beginning to turn gold and brown. A variety of asters add color highlights, mainly in shades of blue.

What the upcoming fall color season will bring depends on the weather. Currently, it is very dry and warm, which tends to result in less vivid tree color and earlier leaf drop. If there is sufficient rain and night time temperatures are cool and days are warm, this combination will allow the plants to develop brighter and longer-lasting colors.

Regardless, autumn is always a season of change, and our collections, woodlands, and landscapes offer a constantly changing experience of color, sounds, and smells. Come outside and enjoy!