Its colors
scarlet, red, yellow, orange
When it turns here
first color about Aug 21, 2026, at its best Sep 23, 2026, fading by Sep 26, 2026, bare by Oct 4, 2026 (estimate).
this year, by the model, the forest here peaks about Oct 7, 2026.
Model of Oct 27, 2026.
How long it holds
Short: at Harvard Forest half its leaves are down, on average, 23 days before northern red oak's.
Where it grows thickest
Everywhere in the region, most of all in New England and the Middle Atlantic states; on swamp borders it grows in almost pure stands, and in Ontario it keeps to wetter ground than sugar maple.
swamps to dry ridges, everywhere
its range outline comes to this page
By height
From swamps to dry ridges and upper slopes: the Silvics chapter judges that it can probably thrive across a wider range of soils, moisture and elevation than any other North American forest tree.
From the road
Scarlet crowns in swamps, wet roadsides and valley bottoms weeks before the hills; smooth light gray bark on young trees, toothed leaves with red stalks, and red twigs.
Its pictures this autumn
Where to see it
pictures of it this autumn from …
- Burlington, the Islands & Lake Champlain, VT · 2 pictures, newest Oct 14, 2026
- Middlebury & the Champlain Valley, VT · 2 pictures, newest Oct 19, 2026
- Pittsburgh & the three rivers, PA · 2 pictures, newest Oct 22, 2026
- The Pinelands & the Rancocas, NJ · 2 pictures, newest Oct 24, 2026
- The Pioneer Valley, MA · 2 pictures, newest Oct 19, 2026
- Asheville & the Parkway, NC · 1 picture, newest Oct 23, 2026
- Atlanta & the metropolitan parks, GA · 1 picture, newest Oct 22, 2026
- Bathurst & the Chaleur shore, NB · 1 picture, newest Oct 3, 2026
- Bergen, Passaic & the northern foothills, NJ · 1 picture, newest Oct 24, 2026
- Boston, the Blue Hills & the harbor, MA · 1 picture, newest Oct 16, 2026
- Bridgeport, Trumbull & the lower Pequonnock, CT · 1 picture, newest Oct 21, 2026
- Charlevoix, QC · 1 picture, newest Oct 2, 2026
The sources’ own words
Maples differ by species — red maple turns brilliant scarlet, sugar maple glows orange-red and black maple a rich yellow.
These two common species can sport a number of colours with male Red Maples delivering the brightest reds, often with individual trees seemingly ablaze with brilliant red leaves. The female Red Maples in contrast display a bright yellow/orange hue unlike the males.
Its opposite maple-shaped leaves with toothed edges turn varying shades of yellow to dark red from September into October.
In fact, the wetlands on either side of I-81 from Tully to Preble are packed with stunted red maples that reach their peak fall color in late August to early September.
The Red Maple, also called White Maple, Soft Maple, or Swamp Maple, has already begun turning red, especially in some of the lower, wetter spots along roadways and in the valleys.
The interspecific variability of autumn stages is illustrated with the example of 50% leaf fall, which occurs on average 23 days earlier in Acer rubrum than in Quercus rubra (Figure 2b).
Red maple (figs. 1, 2) is one of the most abundant and widespread trees in eastern North America (26).
Red maple can probably thrive on a wider range of soil types, textures, moisture, pH, and elevation than any other forest species in North America (18).
The red maple is most common in New England, Middle Atlantic States, upper Michigan, and northeast Wisconsin.
In upper Michigan and New England, red maple grows on ridge tops and dry sandy or rocky upland soils and in almost pure stands on moist soils and swamp borders
It is often found on wetter sites than sugar maple and is known for its brilliant red leaves in autumn.
The leaf stalk and twigs also have a reddish color.
On young trees, smooth and light gray, with age becomes darker and breaks up into long, fine scaly plates.