Fall Leaves Turning Colors

Get real-time fall foliage updates and find the best fall color with our interactive map. Plan your fall trip today! See when fall leaves will peak in 2025! View our U.S.

fall foliage map, find top leaf-peeping spots, and get tips for the best autumn color viewing. Brilliant Fall leaves on the Superior National Forest. (Forest Service photo) Certain colors are characteristic of particular species: Oaks: red, brown, or russet Hickories: golden bronze Aspen and yellow-poplar: golden yellow Dogwood: purplish red Beech: light tan Sourwood and black tupelo: crimson The color of maples leaves differ species by species: Red maple: brilliant scarlet Sugar maple.

Changing leaves and brilliant colors can be a breathtaking sight on fall trees, but when do leaves change color? This natural show can vary from year to year. That's because the process of leaves transitioning to fall colors relies on the right combination of temperature and moisture. Autumnal leaves in vibrant hues are a beautiful part of the season, but those leaves are also a vital part of keeping trees alive.

Trees that have leaves that change color in fall are deciduous. The colors of yellow, gold, orange and red are awaiting us this autumn. Where will they appear first? This fall foliage map shows where.

The Bigger Picture: Why It Matters At first glance, autumn's colors may feel like a gift of beauty-a natural festival marking the year's closing chapters. But beneath the colors is a story of survival, stress, and resilience. Understanding when and why leaves change isn't just about predicting fall foliage for tourism.

What trees and colors to expect in regions across the US Fall colors start farther north and head south as the season progresses - with some variation where higher altitudes turn first. Alaska comes first in August. Northern Minnesota, Maine, and the Rockies can see changes as early as mid.

Ever since the leaves on the trees bloomed in the spring, they have actively been helping the tree grow. Each leaf contains a pigment called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the most common pigment in a leaf.

It absorbs the sun's rays to turn sunlight into food and energy for the tree. Chlorophyll is also what gives a plant its green color. Leaves change color in the fall due to a complex chemical process in deciduous trees, influenced by the length of daylight hours and weather conditions.

Deciduous trees produce and conserve energy through photosynthesis in spring and summer, but start to break down chlorophyll in fall, revealing new colors in the leaves.