Where to see fall colors in Eastern Iowa despite the drought

The first day of autumn is upon us, promising a chill in the air, plaid and cozy wardrobes and fun fall festivities. None would be complete without the iconic reds, yellows, oranges and purples that shroud Iowa trees every year.

This year’s drought may subdue some colors, Iowa Department of Natural Resources staffers told The Gazette — but it won’t snuff them out completely.

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Extreme drought leads to earlier fall colors and leaf loss, said Iowa DNR state forester Jeff Goerndt. It also leads to duller colors, which he expects this fall.

“We are already beginning to see some effects of drought stress across the state from early leaf drop to slightly earlier fall color, particularly in urban areas where trees are already stressed due to site conditions,” he said in an email.

The lack of rain during summer months triggers plants’ defense mechanisms. They’ll start to shut down and prepare for winter to limit their water usage. Trees won’t build up as much sugar in their leaves, which leads to somewhat duller colors on some sites.

Yellow and orange pigments are in leaves year-round, sitting under green chlorophyll pigment for most of the year. The chlorophyll breaks down and gets redistributed throughout the tree in the fall and winter, uncovering orange and yellow pigments.

Red and purple pigments, on the other hand, are produced in the fall and are very weather-dependent. Clear days with heavy sun produce those pigments in leaves, and cool nights trap them there. Without those weather conditions, those shades may not be as prominent.

Eastern Iowa has already started to see some early leaf color changes and leaf drops related to the drought, said Mark Vitosh, an Iowa DNR district forester for seven counties, including Linn and Johnson. Walnut and cottonwood trees started to turn weeks ago. Some of the fall colors look “off,” though.

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“I noticed there’s a street in Iowa City that has a red maple, and some years it’s beautifully red. This year, it’s kind of a brown-yellow already,” he said. “I think a lot of that’s due to the dry weather.”

Northern Iowa should start seeing some fall color late September into early October, while central and southern Iowa can expect the peak around mid-October.

Rain may balance out the colors over the next two to three weeks. Only time — and weather forecasts — will tell what hues we may see in Eastern Iowa this year.

“It’s always so unpredictable,” Vitosh said. “If you throw things like drought in all these different systems, that can throw a wrench in things.”

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Where to see fall colors

Most of Iowa’s best fall color viewing is on Iowa DNR-managed areas, Goerndt said, and along major rivers and reservoirs.

Popular spots in Eastern Iowa include:

The Iowa DNR’s fall color report will start up at www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Fall-Color next week. There, Iowa residents can keep track of when and where fall colors are popping up around the state. If in doubt, you can always call the state park or county conservation board to ask how the colors are.

“Keep listening, keep watching and be ready,” Vitosh said. “Depending on weather, sometimes they can really turn quick and it’s gone … Every fall is different.”

Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com