On October 10th, Holden Arboretum had frost for the first time this season! The nighttime temperatures have also been chilly at Cleveland Botanical Garden. These cold nights are bringing out more colors at both campuses. In this weather, leaves stop producing chlorophyll and start showing the pigments (anthocyanins, carotenoids and xanthophylls) that make for red, orange, and yellow hues.

Perhaps the most iconic tree for fall color at Holden Arboretum is the sugar maple (Acer saccharum [Green Mountain]) by the lily pool in the Display Garden. Its uppermost leaves are starting to turn orange, red and yellow. One of the joys of fall is the fragrance of fallen leaves. Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) on sunny warm days emits the fragrance of caramelized sugar. Experience this in the Campsey-Stauffer Entry Garden, the Swetland Rose Garden, and at the arboretum in the arborvitae grove by Bole Woods. On the hilltop of the Cypress Grove, where the late Haans Petruschke on Sunday morning bird walks was fond of announcing “This is the high point of our tour”, is a Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) exhibiting burgundy hues. It is unusual for Persian ironwood to turn color this early in the season, but drought stress hastened its glorious display.

A walk Corning Lake will bring you to Holden Grove where seven-son-flower (Heptacodium miconioides) is displaying its reddish-purple calyces. There is a female cardinal there gathering their immature fruits in her beak who chirps when I get too close. On and by Fordham Island, the early to display red maples (Acer rubrum) are donning their colors.

The Holden Arboretum has new trails open in the Pierson Valley, accessible via Woodland Trail. Grab a map from the Visitor Center, or follow the signs to Woodland Trail and be on the lookout for our new Pierson Valley Hiking Trails maps posted on the deer fence. Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of autumn on what we expect to become a fan favorite trail.

In the gardens at both campuses there are still aromatic asters (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) in bloom. I am particularly fond of ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ that was originally collected on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. Toad-lillies (Trycyrtis) from east Asia are also in conspicuous bloom. The colorful fruits of winterberry (Ilex verticillata) are also worth seeking out. Last but not least the plumes of ornamental grasses are waving gracefully in the wind. What a beautiful time of year to immerse yourself in nature!