A Fall Fashion Show: The Colorful Transformation of Virginia’s Trees

Virginia proudly wears green all summer, thanks to abundant forests, shady communities, and tree-lined streets. But come autumn, Virginia’s deciduous trees begin to shed their green cloaks for a palette of yellow, orange, and red. Which trees make the best-dressed list for fall? That depends on when and where you’re watching the runway. Fortunately, the show goes on for weeks, moving from upper elevations to the coast, and from north to south as the calendar advances. Forests on the highest mountains typically reach peak color in early October, while forests in the far southeast peak at the very end of October, but each year brings slight variations. Summers with high heat and drought can stress trees and cause them to change their wardrobe early.

The Reason for the Fall Colors

The prelude to autumn’s fashion show is faded green. As the days shorten and temperatures cool, the green chlorophyll pigment in the leaves begins to break down. Yellow pigments called carotenoids are present in the leaves all year, but they are usually masked by the deeper green. Chlorophyll’s exit allows the yellow, gold, and orange of the carotenoids to take the spotlight.

Before trees go bare for the winter, they begin to seal off their leaves in preparation for dropping them. In some species, this process tends to trap sugars in the leaves. The trapped sugars lead to the production of red pigments called anthocyanins, featuring the bold shades that tell us fall has really arrived.

The best red shades develop with clear cool nights and sunny days. For a hint of colors to come, watch for bright patches beginning at the branch tips and progressing downward and inward through the crowns of trees.

Early Trend-Setters

In the mountains, sweet (black) birch is an early adopter of seasonal yellow. These trees often shine like beacons from a mostly green woodland, foreshadowing the spectacular show ahead.

Yellow-poplar reveals its fall color early, but not all at once. Statewide, look for tall straight trees with flags of yellow scattered throughout a green crown. Yellow-poplar soon progresses to the yellow and brown mixture of an overripe banana, so enjoy the green-yellow combo while it lasts.  

In contrast, black gum sports spectacular red leaves as early as August, beginning with splashes of scarlet across a background of green in early fall. Although black gum blends into the background during the green months, in fall it finally takes the spotlight with a red that rivals any maple.

Our state tree, flowering dogwood, wears all the shades of red, sometimes beginning with an unusual pink and progressing through maroon.

For these two species, red attire is both pretty and practical. Both dogwood and black gum provide good examples of foliar flagging. Their red leaves provide a visual cue to migrating songbirds in search of their fall-ripening berries, helping to ensure the trees’ seeds will be spread far and wide.

The Height of Fashion

Mid-autumn is generally the time of “peak” color change, owing to the visibility of multiple bright colors at once. Several tree species get most of the credit for this boldest of fall fashion statements.

From mountain slopes to urban streets, sugar maple gets fancy in an orange that rivals the glow of a bonfire.

Not to be outdone, red maple lives up to its name, flaunting vibrant reds from mountaintop to coast. Both species show individual variation among trees. Some of the liveliest colors show up in the maple cultivars, specially selected for fall color, that are often planted in towns, cities, and suburbs.

Mid-season is not all red and orange. Statewide, Virginia’s hickory species are resplendent in the purest yellow-gold, a classic autumn shade that never goes out of style. A mountainside covered in maples and hickories, with a few pines and still-green oaks, resembles a festive patchwork quilt.

Fashionably Late

The last trees to arrive in their fall finery range from the elegant to the outrageous to the downright eccentric.   

Virginia has many species of oaks, whose fall colors bring to mind russet and burgundy taffeta gowns and jewels of garnet and topaz. The oaks’ rich, deep shades are worth the wait!

In the eastern counties, all eyes are on sweetgum, making an audacious entrance in its technicolor robe of red, orange, yellow, maroon, and deep purple all at once.

As the oldest tree species on the planet, ginkgo makes brilliant yellow, fan-shaped leaves the height of retro fashion along city streets. Ginkgo’s fall color may literally have been appreciated by dinosaurs, assuming they could see in color. Ginkgo has the tendency to drop its leaves almost all at once, as if saying, “Enough of this show.”

Virginia’s fall fashion parade is a must-see event, coming soon to mountain slopes, country roads, urban parks, and backyards everywhere. Read all about it on the Virginia Department of Forestry’s fall color page. Then take time to appreciate an individual tree or drive one of the recommended viewing routes.  From classic hues to splashy shades, you’re sure to find a fashion favorite.