Fall Color

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Fall Color Status 

Fall at The Arboretum

Fall Color Report 2009
Friday, October 2
 
The fall colors are now muted at The Arboretum due to a hard freeze. Word has it that Lockett Meadow is at its peak of color right now.

 

Elderberry Pond (Monday, Sept. 28)

 

Chokeberry shrubs near the Horticulture Center (Friday, Sept. 25)

The amur maples, narrow-leaf cottonwoods, and aspens are fully, or very near fully, transformed into their vivid fall colors. Recently, the black chokeberry shrubs near the Horticulture Center hit their peak as well.

The aspen are yellowing up (Tuesday, Sept. 22)

Because The Arboretum is in a cold-sink, our fall color begins a little earlier.  We already have many yellow and golden aspens and will probably have even more intense color tomorrow since the overnight low is expected to drop below freezing.

September 21, 2009 Courtyard Garden
 
The first reds of Fall are showing on the Amur Maples in the Courtyard Garden. Visit The Arboretum this weekend to see the beautiful fall colors, which will begin to fade as the days grow shorter.

September 16, 2009 Aspens are beginning to turn

Signs of autumn are appearing little by little each day at The Arboretum.  One of our aspen clones is showing a lovely yellow-green.  The other group is still completely green.  Within the next couple of weeks they should be in their full glory.

Chokecherry shrubs are a beautiful red already (9-16-09)


Images from autumn 2008


Amur Maples - Photo taken September 16, 2008

The first reds of Fall are showing on the Amur Maples in The Courtyard Garden as well as the bright yellows of the Box Elder trees around the Riparian Area.


Box Elder - Photo take September 16, 2008

September 24th 2008 - Update


Smooth Sumac and Amur Maple - September 24, 2008

The Amur Maples in the Courtyard Garden have all turned bright yellows, reds and oranges and are dropping pretty leaves around the garden.  The Sumac's are turning brilliant shades of red. The leaves of the Aspens on the grounds are turning a beautiful golden color.


Aspen tree - September 24, 2008

October 3rd, 2008 - Update


Virginia Creeper - October 3rd, 2008

The Virginia Creeper on the Walter Reichardt House is turning deep shades of red.  The plants in the shade garden are putting on a display of color also.  The colors are exploding right now but will soon begin to fade as the days grow shorter.


Shade Garden - October 3rd, 2008

 
Fall colors in the courtyard garden were at their height when this photo was taken on Thursday, September 30, 2004.

Fall Color Report for San Francisco Peaks

Friday, September 29, 2006

Large swaths of aspens are turning on the sides of the San Francisco Peaks, and it looks like it will be the first great weekend for leaf-peeping.  The photo below (taken Sept. 29, 2006) shows aspens turning on the east side of the Peaks as viewed from Highway 89 about 7 miles northeast of the Flagstaff Mall.

Sept. 29, 2006

Visit the Coconino National Forest website for more information and updates on fall colors in the area.

Consult the National Weather Service website for information regarding the weather conditions before viewing fall colors in the area, as heavy wind and rain can change the status of fall colors rapidly.

sumac leaf - August 19, 2005

For the most up-to-date info about what's happening on our grounds, call our Visitor Center at (928) 774-1442.

For regional fall color information, call the US Forest Service's Fall Color Hotline at (800) 354-4595 (press 3 for Arizona information).

The species listed below show fall color each year at The Arboretum, which generally peaks from the end of September through the beginning of October.  

grasses
ash
box elder
amur maple
New Mexican locust
fireweed
smooth sumac
aspen
oak
willow
geranium
golden currant
chokecherries

 

Past Reports:

Sept. 16, 2007

Sept. 7, 2006

Sept. 12, 2006

Sept. 28, 2006

Oct. 3, 2006

Oct. 10, 2006

 

Be sure to visit the Arizona Snowbowl's Skyride for a spectacular view of the changing colors from the highest point in Arizona.

 

Recommended Fall Color Scenic Drive near Flagstaff

This information is adapted from the Flagstaff Visitor Center's fall color flyer.  

Hart Prairie Road

The premier Fall Colors Tour!  Hart Prairie Road winds through blazing yellows and golds of the shimmering aspen groves.  Peak times are usually late September/early October.

Distance:  50 miles.  Approximate driving time without stops:  two hours.

Roads:  Paved and good dirt roads.

Take US 180 (Humphreys Street) which starts at Route 66, the main thoroughfare in Flagstaff.  Head north on Route 180 toward the Grand Canyon for 10.8 miles to Forest Service Road 151 (Hart Prairie Road).  Hart Prairie Road loops around through the aspen groves back to Route 180.  Turn left on Route 180 and head back to Flagstaff.


Photo taken along Hart Prairie Road on 9/28/03, submitted by Malinda.

Hart Prairie is one of the best places in the Flagstaff area to see fall colors! Visit the Nature Conservancy website for more information on the guided nature walks offered at Hart Prairie through mid-October. This is another great way to witness nature's changing colors.

 

If you would like to email a fall color report for the region to The Arboretum, send one to Steve.Yoder@nau.edu and we will consider posting it here.

 

Copyright © 2007 The Arboretum at Flagstaff
Last modified: Thursday November 19, 2009