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Best Places to See Fall Colors in Iowa

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Lake Ahquabi State Park

 

Fall is here and beautiful colors are creeping across the landscape.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks with DNR district forester Mark Vitosh about why and how leaves change color in the fall and the best places to see fall color in the state.

 

Vitosh says his top five favorite trees in the fall are:

  1. White Oak - because, “It’s Iowa and I’m a forester,” he says.  The leaves become deep red and the trees get so large.
  2. Sugar Maple
  3. Aspen - We see some of those in North East Iowa and in Big Tooth we have Trembling Aspen.
  4. Red Oak
  5. Ginko because they have a really nice vibrant yellow color. If you like a yard where you only have to rake once, this is your tree!  After a frost, all of the leaves come down together.

Vitosh and Iowa State University horticulturist Richard Jauron also answer listener questions. 

Tags
HorticultureTreesHort DayHort Day
Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa