The year’s most colorful season is officially here as the September portion of summer yields to fall.

That means an array of red, orange and yellow trees is on the horizon throughout Illinois.

And at the Morton Arboretum, located at 4100 Illinois Route 53 in Lisle, a hot and dry end of summer resulted in some trees already dropping their leaves.

“We were seeing some trees that are known to be drought sensitive — Lindens is one that is in a lot of neighborhoods, as well as here at the arboretum, we have a tree called Katsura — and those trees were definitely shedding some leaves early,” Christy Rollinson, the arboretum’s senior scientist in forest ecology, said.

Rollinson still expects the peak for colors at the arboretum to be in mid-October, though, when a lot of their maple trees turn. The Illinois Office of Tourism agrees, projecting peak time in Northern Illinois around Oct. 15 on its website.

Later in the season, Rollinson says the oak trees will change, along with a unique tree called the ginkgo.

“That’s the one I’m always looking for,” Rollinson said. “It seems to turn right around when we tend to get our first heavy freeze, and so sometimes it gets hit, and it drops all of its leaves green, and other times it holds on to yellow leaves for a surprisingly long time.”

While there’s been some rain recently, trees had to contend with a long dry spell in Illinois this summer. The arboretum encourages tree owners to pay attention to them during the transitional period.

“If the leaves are still green, it is still producing energy,” Rollinson said. “If you’re starting to see them kind of looking sad, watering it will help perk it back up.”

The Morton Arboretum also has a “plant clinic” that folks can call to ask questions. Rollinson described the clinic as the arboretum’s version of Apple’s Genius Bar.

“What should I plant? Why is my tree sick? What the heck is this? They are there to answer your questions. It is a free service, and I think it’s one of the best parts of the arboretum,” Rollinson said.

The arboretum spans 1,700 acres and features 106,714 specimens including 4,067 different types of plants, according to a press release. It is open on most days with general admission tickets priced at around $17 — the pass allows visitors to stay from 9 a.m. until sunset.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250922/news/fiery-maples-and-golden-ginkgos-are-some-of-the-fall-color-showstoppers-at-morton-arboretum/