(Des Moines, Iowa) – Enjoy Iowa’s beautiful weather and fall colors this weekend. Fall colors appear more vibrant this year, possibly due to the recent crisp weather. Cottonwood, hackberry, elm, basswood and walnut are turning yellow in northeast Iowa. The hillsides have splashes of color mostly from sugar maples. Yellows and oranges mixed with green dot the landscape in north central and northwest Iowa. Cottonwoods are vibrant. Silver maples are just starting to lighten in color.

Major river valleys in central Iowa like the Des Moines, Boone, and Iowa rivers are at 20-25 percent color change. More maples are turning red and yellow. White ash and dogwood are showing a little bit of purple in southeast Iowa. Some urban maples are starting to show a little red and orange. Most shrubs will be at peak color, which provide most of our reds in west central and southwest Iowa. Fall prairie flowers are still showy this week to bring vivid colors to your prairie hikes. 

Enjoy a fall drive and take in all the beautiful colors!