Catch fall colors
See the best time to soak in autum colors and which weekend is optimal for a scenic hike or drive.
How leaF COLOR workS
Leaves use carbohydrates (sugars) to continually produce chlorophyll, which gives the leaves their green color.
OPtimal tree viewing
Predictions about 2024’s seasonal peak across US is based on historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and previous years of peak fall foliage.
TREE COLOR, BY SPECIES
Some colors appear only on certain trees. Maple leaf colors differ by species. Click below to see fall colors.
Yellows and oranges
No change
Minimal
Patchy
Partial
Near peak
Peak
Past peak
SEP
30
OCT
7
OCT
14
OCT
21
OCT
28
SOURCE: smokymountains.com
SEPT
23
SEPT
23
OCT
28
OCT
21
OCT
14
OCT
7
SEP
30
The signal for leaves to change correlates to the length of daily sunlight, not just frost or temperature.
Chlorophyll absorbs the blue and orange parts of sunlight and converts them into energy for the tree.
Other colors that were present in the leaf, but blocked by the green, become visible with the lack of chlorophyll.
YELLOWS AND ORANGES
REDS AND PURPLES
With fading daylight, the layer of cells around the leaf stem start to harden, cutting off chlorophyl.
BROWNS
DAYLIGHT SPECTRUM
These pigments are made by xanthophylls and carotenoids (the same as in carrots) and absorb the green light the chlorophyll misses.
Reds and purples
Some leaves turn red from anthocyanins, a chemical manufactured from the sugars trapped in the leaf.
Browns
When all the pigment breaks down, only the brown tannins remain.
Aspen
Walter Siegmund, Wikimedia Commons
SOURCE: U.S. National Arboretum, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Tribune News Service
Black tupelo
Hickory
Beech
Oak
Dogwood
Black maple
Sugar maple
Red maple
Aspen
Beech
Black tupelo
Katja Schulz, Wikimedia Commons
Katja Schulz, Wikimedia Commons
Famartin, Wikimedia Commons
Dogwood
Sandy Wolkenberg, N.C. Cooperative Extension
Hickory
Famartin, Wikimedia Commons
Oak
Liz West, Flickr
Sugar maple
F. D. Richards, Flickr
Black maple
Katja Schulz, Wikimedia Commons
Red maple
Golden
yellow
Crimson
Purplish red
Golden bronze
Light
tan
Red
Brown
Russet
Glowing yellow
Brilliant scarlet
Orange-red
Aspen
Beech
Black tupelo
Dogwood
Hickory
Oak
Black maple
Red maple
Sugar maple
Patchy
Partial
Near peak
Peak
Past peak