Leaf Colors of Common Trees Here in the Oak-Hickory Forest

Fall along a busy urban street

The Philadelphia area is graced with a show of spectacular fall tree color. We are just far enough north for the tree leaves to change and just far enough south to miss frigid winter temperatures. Perfect.

The trees leaves change colors according to their species DNA. Here is a list of the colors of common tree species here in the Oak-Hickory region of the Eastern Deciduous Forest.


Oaks
bear oak - yellowish brown
black oak - dull brown
blackjack oak, pin oak, turkey oak - reddish with orange tinge
post oak - brown red oak - dull brown
scarlet oak - bright scarlet to deep red
Virginia live oak - green this is an evergreen oak)

Hickories

all hickories have yellow leaves in fall.

Maples

box-elder - yellow, sometimes reddish

red maple - red

silver maple - pale yellow

striped male - yellow

sugar maple - bright orange, turning to yellow

Birches

birches - all turn shades of yellow

Other species

American beech - light yellow and turning brownish tan

American chestnut - brownish yellow

Black tupelo - deep dark red

Bigtooth aspen - orange-yellow, turning pale yellow

Eastern cottonwood - yellow

Eastern sycamore - brown

Flowering Dogwood - deep red

Pin and wild cherries - reddish, turning yellow

Quaking Aspen - yellow varies form pale to deep

Sassafras - reddish becoming yellowish

Sumacs - orange, turning bright red

Sweetgum - orange-red, turing yellow

Tamarack (American Larch) - bright yellow needles

Tuliptree - bright yellow

White ash - maroon, dark reddish green