Fall foliage in Texas

Texas has the latest and longest season in the country. The Panhandle canyons at Palo Duro and the cypress at Caddo Lake turn at the start of November; the Hill Country around Lost Maples, Garner and Fredericksburg peaks in the second and third weeks; the cypress along the Guadalupe and around Canyon Lake and Wimberley holds color into the first days of December. Bigtooth maple at Lost Maples is the one place in the state with reds comparable to the Northeast; elsewhere the palette is cypress rust, cottonwood gold and the burgundy of Spanish oak.

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

• Arkansas fall foliage
• Louisiana fall foliage
• New Mexico fall foliage
• Oklahoma 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 Texas you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.