Fall foliage in Indiana

Indiana’s season is compact, with under two weeks between its earliest and latest areas. The dunes and the northern lake plain turn in the middle of October, the covered-bridge country of Parke County and Turkey Run in the third week, and the hills around Brown County, Nashville and Hesitation Point in the last days of the month. Sugar maple, sassafras and tulip poplar bring yellow and orange; the southern hills carry more oak and finish in bronze.

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Indiana, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in Indiana change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. Indiana borders:

• Illinois fall foliage
• Kentucky fall foliage
• Michigan fall foliage
• Ohio fall foliage

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in Indiana you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.