Fall Color Report

See where fall color is showing in the tree and plant collections at The Morton Arboretum and visit throughout the season to see the colors change.

Fall color as of Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Asters, goldenrods, and white snakeroot are blooming in the woodlands at The Morton Arboretum, while golden grasses set seed in the prairies. Most trees are still green, but fall color is surely coming.

The most color can be found on trees planted in sites where their living conditions are stressful, such as in parking lots and near pavement. There, leaves of Freeman’s maples are showing some red. Hackberries and Kentucky coffeetrees are turning yellow. Scattered leaves in lindens and walnut trees are starting to turn yellow as well.

Acorns and walnuts are dropping from trees across the Arboretum’s collections and landscapes. Squirrels, chipmunks, and blue jays are busy processing this year’s crop for winter storage.

The best fall color develops in trees when there are bright, warm, sunny days and cool nights. The forecast is for cooler days and nights in coming days, which may slow the development of more intense fall colors.

As you visit the Arboretum over the next week or so, look for hints of yellowing leaves in Miyabe’s maples, Kentucky coffeetrees, tree lilacs, hackberries, and redbuds. Reds are also beginning to show in sumac, Virginia creeper, and dogwoods.

As we head into autumn, each day will bring new colors, sounds, and smells to the Arboretum’s gardens, collections, woodlands, and landscapes. Visit often to enjoy the outdoors and experience the changing wonders of fall.

Fall Color Highlights

Fall color as of Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Autumn is just around the corner in The Morton Arboretum’s tree collections, gardens, and landscapes. Hints that summer has ended and fall is beginning can be seen in the blooming of asters, goldenrods, and white snakeroot in the woodlands. Prairie grasses are setting seed, amid blooming prairie asters and goldenrods.

The earliest trees to turn color, such as Freeman maples with hints of red, are in parking lots and other sites that are stressful for trees to grow in. Meanwhile, yellow leaves are starting to appear in the crowns of linden and walnut trees throughout the Arboretum.

Another sign of fall is the abundance of acorns and walnuts dropping from trees across the Arboretum’s collections and landscapes. Squirrels and chipmunks are busy processing this year’s crop for winter storage.

In the coming days, look for hints of yellowing leaves in Miyabe maples, coffee-trees, tree lilacs, hackberries, and redbuds. Meanwhile, enjoy the fall-blooming flowers in beds around the Visitor Center and the Thornhill Education Center.

The color of trees this autumn will depend on a combination of factors, such as dry weather in much of the summer, recent rains, and the temperatures and rainfall in the coming weeks. Cool nighttime temperatures, bright sunny warm days, and adequate moisture will allow the plants to develop brighter and longer-lasting colors.

Autumn is always a season of change, and the Arboretum’s collections, woodlands, and landscapes offer a constantly changing experience of color, sounds, and smells. Come outside often this fall and enjoy!