Beginners Guide to Fall Leaves in Kentucky and Indiana

A Beginner’s Guide to Fall Leaf Identification of Kentucky and Indiana

Can you believe it’s already October? I pulled out my Halloween shirts and picked a black one with a skull to wear today. I’ll even be trick-or-treating this weekend.

One of the best parts of fall is watching the leaves change. Yellows, reds, oranges, and browns all blend together like nature’s own painting. A Sunday drive this time of year feels like cruising through an art gallery.

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What Influences Autumn Leaf Color?

According to the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists aren’t 100% sure of the science behind tree color changes, but they believe the changes are influenced by three things:

Leaf pigments
Length of night
Weather

The original color of the leaves, along with temperatures and rainfall amounts, play a role in what color they change to. But scientists believe that the length of night (or lack of sunlight) is the main trigger for when leaves start to change.

Photo by Ethan Hoover on Unsplash

Learning to Identify Leaves

I’ve always loved looking at fall leaves, but outside of a few trees in my yard, I couldn’t tell you which is which. That got me thinking, it might be fun to learn about some of the common leaves we see around here.

When Is the Best Time to See Fall Leaves in Indiana and Kentucky

According to ExploreFall.com, most of Indiana, Illinois, and eastern Kentucky will hit peak color at the end of October. If you’re in southern Indiana, southern Illinois, or western Kentucky, the best time to plan your fall leaf-peeping trip will be the first week or two of November. Read more here.

Photo by Jason Strull on Unsplash

Trees Native to Indiana and Kentucky

Before I started my quest to identify leaves, I needed to find out what kinds of trees are native to this area. Sure, I could show you the regal Bradford pear in all its fishy-smelling glory but it's invasive so we'll skip that one for now. In fact, I found plenty of native trees to identify.

Here's what I found:

Maples

Sugar Maple
Red Maple
Silver Maple
Boxelder

Oaks

White Oak
Red Oak
Black Oak
Pin Oak
Burr Oak
Chestnut Oak
Chinkapin Oak
Scarlet Oak
Shingle Oak
Willow Oak

Hickories & Walnuts

Shagbark Hickory
Shellbark Hickory
Pignut Hickory
Bitternut Hickory
Mockernut Hickory
Black Walnut
Butternut

Other Hardwoods

American Beech
Tulip Poplar (Tulip Tree)
Sycamore (American Sycamore)
Sassafras
Dogwood (Flowering Dogwood, Pagoda Dogwood)
Eastern Redbud
Pawpaw
Persimmon
Serviceberry
Black Cherry
Blackgum (Tupelo)
Sweetgum
Catalpa (Northern Catalpa)
Hackberry
Kentucky Coffeetree
American Linden (Basswood)
Yellowwood

Conifers & Evergreens

Bald Cypress
Eastern White Pine
Virginia Pine
American Holly

Others Worth Noting

Buckeyes (Ohio, Yellow, Red)
Magnolias (Bigleaf, Cucumbertree, Umbrella)
Hornbeam / Ironwood
Witchhazel

Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

Identifying Fall Leaves

One of the best parts of fall is watching the leaves change as yellows, reds, oranges, and browns blend together like nature’s own painting. According to the Forest Service, scientists believe the changes are influenced by three things: leaf pigments, length of night, and weather. The original color of the leaves, along with temperatures and rainfall, also affect the shades we see, but the length of night is thought to be the biggest trigger. I’ve always loved looking at fall leaves, but outside of a few trees in my yard, I couldn’t tell you which was which, so I thought it would be fun to learn about some of the most common ones.

Gallery Credit: Ashley S.

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