Peak fall color is quickly drifting south this week, it can now be found roughly along and south of I-80 in the states of Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. The southern Wisconsin cities of Madison and Milwaukee are still holding onto peak color as well. North of this area you will find that northern Iowa, all of Minnesota, and much of Wisconsin are past peak color. This doesn’t mean decent color cannot be found here, but it does mean most of the brightest colors are gone. Areas in the far south, such as Kansas, most of Missouri, and southern Illinois are in the high color category right now, but should be ready for peak color in the next few days.

Fall colors here in the Des Moines area and the rest of southern Iowa are at peak! We are slightly on the downhill side at this point but color will remain at peak until at least Halloween. I suspect there will even still be nice color into November. This week Oaks, especially Red and Pin are prime in stunning shades of red and orange. Sugar maples are orange, Hickories are golden-yellow, Mulberries Elms and Silver Maples are still yellow and Burning Bushes are fire-red. Many of the trees and shrubs are coming together to make a nice display at this time, even with 40+MPH winds we had today. The photo above is of the Des Moines urban tree canopy in the Des Moines/Racoon River Valley. It is hard to believe this wooded area is actually in the middle of the city’s suburban area near Windsor Heights and South of grand neighborhoods.

Red Maples are quite pretty being shades anywhere from yellow to red or orange. This is of the one in my yard, which finally colored up quite nicely.

Hickory trees have some of the best yellow color in Iowa ranging from orange to golden yellow. I took this photo while walking in Browns Woods in West Des Moines. I noticed the best color is in the upland wooded area tree species and not in state parks/woods that border and rivers. This weekend will likely be the last weekend for good fall color viewing in Iowa because the best colors will fade fast from this point on and leaves start dropping at a fast rate. Since this is the case, this will be the last fall color update of the season as we now get ready for the winter season! Get out there and enjoy Iowa’s fall color.