It is not common in Michigan, but provides spectacular red fall color and is used in landscaping. Utility players: Less common native trees and landscape trees with outstanding fall colorīlackgum ( Nyssa sylvatica), also referred to as tupelo, is a small tree that is native to southern Lower Michigan. Photo by Rich Weber, Indiana University, Purdue University, Fort Wayne. Larch needles turn bright yellow in the fall before they shed. Larch trees are the only native conifers in Michigan that shed all their needles each fall. Eastern larch or tamarack ( Larix laricina) occurs primarily in wetter areas throughout the state. Other hickories in southern Michigan include bitternut hickory ( Carya cordiformis) and pignut hickory ( Carya glabra). Shagbark hickory ( Carya ovata), easily identified by its peeling bark, is the most common hickory in the state. Hickories are common throughout southern Lower Michigan, often producing patches of yellow along roadsides and trails in agricultural regions of the state.
![types of maple trees in indiana types of maple trees in indiana](https://pixfeeds.com/images/20/505128/1200-95431703-sugar-maple-tree.jpg)
Sassafras fall color ranges from yellow to deep red.
![types of maple trees in indiana types of maple trees in indiana](https://ppmtree.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Maple-leaves-800.png)
They are easily identified by their leaves, which are sometimes three-lobed or mitten-shaped. Sassafras ( Sassafras albidum) is found throughout southern Lower Michigan. Trees in the white oak group may produce yellow or dusty red fall color. Several trees in the white oak group (oaks with leaves with rounded leaf tips) are found in southern Michigan including white oak ( Quercus alba), swamp white oak ( Quercus bicolor) and bur oak ( Quercus macrocarpa). Red oaks are characterized by lobed leaves with pointed leaf tips. Red oak ( Quercus rubra) is found throughout Michigan and often provides subtle, russet red fall color, in contrast to the brighter colors of maples. Oaks are components of several of hardwood forest types mentioned above and also oak-hickory forests. Trees are characterized by light gray bark and leaves that flutter or “quake” in the wind.Īspen. Aspen trees, sometimes referred to as “popple,” provide bright yellow fall color. Both quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides) and bigtooth aspen ( Populus grandidentata) occur throughout Michigan, but are most common in the aspen forest type in northern Michigan. Red maples are widely planted as landscape trees in large part due to their fall color, which is reflected in the names of common cultivars such as ‘October glory’ and ‘Red sunset’.Īspen. Red maples have relatively small, three-lobed leaves and can provide colors ranging from vivid red to orange to bright yellow. Like sugar maples, red maples are found throughout the state but on a wider variety of sites, including mixed upland hardwoods and swamp hardwoods. They are large trees with large, palmately lobed leaves (think of the maple leaf on the Canadian flag). Sugar maples occur throughout the state but are most common in the Northern hardwood forest type and often provide our most spectacular red fall color. When Michiganders think of fall color, chances are sugar maples are the first trees that come to mind. The starting lineup: Common native trees with outstanding fall color Southern Michigan provides the greatest assortment of tree types in the state, as northern hardwood trees overlap with central and southern hardwoods such as sassafras, hickories and black gum, providing a mosaic of autumn colors that often lasts into late October.
![types of maple trees in indiana types of maple trees in indiana](https://fthmb.tqn.com/99Prp92SuSRoQHwOxEq8V_MDlFU=/2125x1411/filters:fill(auto,1)/Japanese-Maple-GettyImages-543165315-586d2ae85f9b586e02c5a9e4.jpg)
In parts of the state where conifers dominate, the color of scattered hardwoods is often accentuated against the deep evergreen background. Fall color in northern Lower Michigan is dominated by maples, especially red and sugar maples. In the northern Lower Peninsula, fall color typically peaks in early to mid-October (slightly later near the lakeshores). The Upper Peninsula usually kicks off Michigan’s fall color in mid- to late September. In the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, quaking aspen or larch provide vast areas of yellow while maples add splashes of orange and red. These forest types include a variety of species that have distinctive fall color patterns. Michigan includes a range of diverse forest types that reflect the state’s varied climate and geology. As baseball gears up for its Fall Classic, Michigan State University Extension presents a short guide to the trees that lead the fall color team in Michigan. The same applies to Michigan fall color knowing which trees are contributing to our fall display adds to our enjoyment of the season. An old adage in baseball is, “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.” Knowing who is on the field at each position helps to make baseball games more enjoyable.