Right outsidePlants
Red maples in New England swamps: the first trees to turn in fall
When: August to October
Fall color in New England starts in the wet spots: red maples, the swamp maples, begin turning in the low ground weeks before the hillsides, sometimes before Labor Day.
Why this time of year
The earliest red flags of the season are already possible: scattered swamp and roadside red maples flush in late summer, and by mid-to-late September the early color is unmistakable while the main show is still a month away.
How to notice it
- On any drive or walk, watch the low wet ground: pond edges, the river meadows, roadside ditches.
- The first red or orange crowns in an otherwise green wall are almost always red maples.
- A stressed tree turns earliest of all, so a lone flaming tree in August is telling you it had a hard year.
- Pick one green swamp maple you pass often and watch it week by week; it will beat the upland trees by weeks.
Try this with kids: Who can spot the first red tree, and is it standing somewhere wet?
red maples are also called swamp maples because they tolerate wet ground most trees cannot
Sources
- massaudubon.orgThe red maple is one of the first trees to become vibrant, especially if stressed by illness or harsh conditions; early changes occur as early as mid-to-late September in Massachusetts, with later changes mid-to-late October.
- extension.unh.eduThe red maple, also called swamp maple, has already begun turning red in early September, especially in the lower, wetter spots along roadways and in the valleys; the early show of red in late summer signals that autumn is upon us.
- forestsociety.orgRed maples are the earliest to flush, turning red in late summer, even before Labor Day weekend; they tolerate wet sneakers from periodic flooding and populate forests prone to natural disturbance such as flooding in wetlands.
In the guide for August, September, October