Three-leaf sumac in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. Patrick Myers/NPS
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Where there are deciduous trees, there will likely be flame-colored leaves come autumn. Sure, the maples, oaks, sweetgums, and hickories in the Northeast net the most attention during fall foliage season, but there’s a certain poetry in the stately yellows and oranges of the quaking aspens, cottonwoods, and birches out West. In the South, a seasonal flush hits the hardwood trees dotting river deltas and wetlands. And in the far north, hardy tundra shrubs and wildflowers darken to jewel-like hues as they prepare for a blistering winter. Only Hawaii seems to miss the wave of colorful changes, though non-native plants might add a splash of crispness.
So, as an ode to the sweet autumn air and last leaves of the year, let’s take a tour across the US to see some of the brilliance that our national parks, military bases, and other public lands have to offer.
Quaking aspens in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Bob Wick/NPS
Maple, beech, and other mixed upland forest trees in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan. NPSOak (left) and yucca (right) in Angeles National Forest, California. David McNew/Getty ImagesSugar maples at Fort Knox, Kentucky. US ArmyBearberry in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Alaska. NPSQuaking aspens in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. J. Bonney/NPS(From background to foreground) Cottonwood, sunflowers, and sandhill cranes in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. Robert Dunn/USFWSMagnolias in Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida. Karen Parker/Florida Fish and WildlifeYarrow (left) and fireweed (right) in Denali National Park, Alaska. Tim Rains/NPSSugar maples in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery
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