Fall foliage in Iowa

Iowa’s color runs north to south and concentrates along its rivers. The bluff country of the northeast around Decorah and the Upper Mississippi turns in the middle of October, with the Loess Hills in the west and the Des Moines River valley following in the third week. Maple and basswood give the northeast its brightest color; oaks, walnut and cottonwood carry the rest of the state in gold and bronze into early November. Away from the river corridors the landscape is mostly open.

Color somewhere in the state: October and November
Trees: maple, basswood, oak, walnut and cottonwood
Region: Great Lakes & Midwest

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Iowa, 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 Iowa 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. Iowa borders:

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 Iowa you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.