Natural History Wanderings

Eastern Regional National Forests have the following fall color reports

Illinois

Shawnee National Forest

Even though we had some cooler weather this weekend, creating bon-fire and jacket weather, the trees are still trying to hold on to green. Every now and then you will catch a glimpse of a tree changing to its fall colors.

Indiana

Hoosier National Forest

There has been a large increase in fall colors on the Hoosier National Forest! Though, there is still a lot of greenery, fall colors are noticeable and at about 40%. Forecasts predict cold nights and cool sunny days, which should bring us to peak in the next week or two. It’s getting close to optimal scenic drive weather through the Forest.

Michigan

Hiawatha National Forest

Fall is in the air across the Hiawatha National Forest! Visitors will find extraordinary leaf color on both the east and west zones of the Forest, from Lake Superior to Lakes Huron and Lake Michigan.Ottawa National Forest

Dreary days and little sunshine have seemed to put an end to brilliant fall color on the Ottawa. We still have some snow on the ground in areas from a weekend blast with more rain and possible snow in the forecast.

Minnesota

Superior National Forest

We are down to about 10% of fall leaves left on the trees, but the 90% on the ground make for some wonderful crunchy noises.  Tamaracks are the exception as they are beautifully golden right now.  Late fall with the sun slanting through bare branches onto the leaf covered ground is a lovely time for a hike.

Ohio

Wayne National Forest

Autumn colors grace the foliage around Lake Vesuvius as mist rises from its waters in the morning light. The ADA accessible walkway welcomes visitors of all abilities to enjoy the view. Special thanks to Kelli and Mark Sullivan, our wonderful campground hosts at Oak Hill, for capturing the fall color splendor.

Pennsylvania

Allegheny National Forest

Not much change over the last week.  The majority of the black cherry trees have lost their leaves, while maples are slowly turning yellow. Most oaks still remain green.

West Virginia

Monongahela National Forest

Monongahela National Forest saw its first snow of the season this past weekend. Higher elevations have dropped their leaves, but trees in the lower elevations are changing fast.