Morton Arboretum now awash in fall colors

Fireworks of fall color await you at The Morton Arboretum. Seventeen hundred beautiful acres feature 186,000 trees and other plants formally registered into the living collections, plus thousands more in the woodlands. With trees from 40 countries, it's like a world of fall color, all in one place. And something is peaking every week in autumn.

“The wide variety of trees from around the world extends the length of the color season and provides a broader array of colors to enjoy, says Ed Hedborn, Arboretum botanist and “Fall Color Scout who chronicles changing hues at the tree museum.

The rare exotics include a large collection of maples native to Europe, Korea, China and Japan; hornbeams native to Europe and Iran; oaks native to Asia; beeches native to Crimea; zelkovas native to Azerbaijan; and many other species that aren't found in most parks, forest preserves, or city blocks in the Midwest.

In late October and early November, check out the white oaks turning wine purple, pin and red oaks becoming red, and the callery and Ussurian pear trees bringing up the rear, holding onto their colors until the frost.

Visitors can hike the 16 miles of trails, drive or bicycle the nine miles of roads, or catch an Arboretum tram to take in the stunning vistas.

Fall color at The Morton Arboretum is a multi-sensory experience extending beyond the full palette of colors to see.

“Shuffle your feet through the fallen leaves. The experience takes you back to childhood. And take a deep breath near the katsuras, which smell like cotton candy, Hedborn says.

The best chance for a spectacular array of color would come with a repeated combination of bright, sunny, warm days and cool nights.

Hedborn's “color scout duty began 12 years ago with his regular responsibilities of maintaining records for The Arboretum's world renowned collection of woody plants. Hedborn, who holds a master's degree in botany, began telling other staffers which trees around the Arboretum were exhibiting lively and exciting colors, who passed this information to visitors enabling them to target the best views. Later still, Hedborn provided his “Bloom 'n Color report, available during the fall color season at mortonarb.org and (630) 719-7955 for updates.

Here are some highlights from Hedborn's Oct. 9 report:

ŸVisitor Center Parking Lot: Marmo and Autumn Blaze Freeman's maples in the parking lot medians shine bright red in the morning sun, while yellow grasses, goldenrod, and asters sway in the breeze.

ŸMeadow Lake: Take a walk along the half-mile paved loop around Meadow Lake and notice the hackberries, sycamores and redbuds, which all have a golden glow to their leaves.

ŸEast Woods: Starting to have sprinkles of color. Purple white ashes peak out from the top of the canopy and the ground layer, elms, hackberries, and lindens are starting to show yellow. Search for the blue and white asters and white snakeroot along the forest floor.

ŸAppalachia Collection (Parking Lot 16): A gorgeous, towering sugar maple showcases its color left of the main road. A yellow buckeye tree grows nearby.

ŸChina Collection (Parking Lot 17): See flowering dogwoods and sumacs shining purple and red. Then, take the Geographic Trail toward Main Trail Loop 1 to see two beautiful painted maples ablaze with color.

ŸJapan Collection (Parking Lot 18): One of the “superstars of fall is starting to change color. A large ginkgo tree along the main road is gradually transforming into a bright yellow. This tree, with its elegant shape and cascading branches, is breath-taking to see in full color.

ŸWest Side Entrance: Red ivy blankets the underpass, deep burgundy white ash trees make a statement to your right, and bright shades of orange surround the DuPage River bridge.

ŸPine Hill: Drive along the Main Route and notice how the Virginia creeper, with its fiery red color, illuminates the trunks of the large pine trees at Pine Hill.

Lake Marmo: Hackberries, sugar maples, and dogwoods are starting to have color. The large, light-purple-colored Marmo Freeman's maple tree frames the lake.

Located at I-88 and Route 53 in Lisle, the Arboretum is open seven days a week, 365 days a year, from 7 a.m. to sunset. The Children's Garden is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., March through October, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., November through February.