Its colors
golden yellow
When it turns here
first color about Sep 25, 2026, at its best Oct 7, 2026, fading by Oct 14, 2026, bare by Oct 21, 2026 (estimate).
this year, by the model, the forest here peaks about Oct 7, 2026.
Model of Oct 27, 2026.
How long it holds
the sources give no figure for how long it holds its color.
Where it grows thickest
Common throughout Ontario and across the north; the first tree onto burned, cut or cleared ground, so its patches mark younger forest.
cleared and burned ground
its range outline comes to this page
By height
From sea level on the Maine coast to about 910 m (3,000 ft) near its northern limit.
From the road
Patches of one even gold along forest edges, road cuts and old fields, with smooth pale greenish-white bark and round leaves that shiver in the slightest wind.
Its pictures this autumn
Where to see it
pictures of it this autumn from …
- Augusta, Lewiston & the Kennebec valleys, ME · 2 pictures, newest Oct 4, 2026
- Les Cantons-de-l'Est, QC · 1 picture, newest Oct 1, 2026
- Manchester, Dorset & the southern Green Mountains, VT · 1 picture, newest Oct 3, 2026
- Scranton, Wilkes-Barre & the Wyoming Valley, PA · 1 picture, newest Oct 5, 2026
- The Thousand Islands & the St Lawrence, NY · 1 picture, newest Oct 4, 2026
The sources’ own words
quaking aspen (golden yellow)
Under average weather conditions in central New York, white ash is one of the first tree species to reach peak color in early fall; quaking aspen, Norway maple, and larches don’t reach their peak color until the last week of October or even later in central New York.
This small to medium-sized tree, which is intolerant of shade, spreads as root suckers, frequently forming dense stands on forest margins and road edges. Its alternate finely toothed roundish leaves move in gentle winds, inspiring its common name. The leaves turn yellow in mid-October.
Aspen spans an elevational range from sea level on both Atlantic (Maine) and Pacific (Washington) coasts to 3505 m (11,500 ft) in northern Colorado.
Near its northern limit, quaking aspen is found at elevations only up to 910 m (3,000 ft).
Poplar or trembling aspen is a common tree throughout Ontario. An early successional species, it is often the first tree to grow on a newly disturbed site.
At first smooth, creamy yellowish-white to very light green; later developing thick furrows and becoming dark, especially near the base.