OHIO — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources uploaded its first fall color update of the season on its YouTube page. So far, most of the color is spotty, but much of it is occuring in the northern half of the state.
“Most of the fall color people are seeing right now is still patchy, but walnuts, buckeyes, poison ivy, Virginia creeper and sycamores can be spotted turning yellow," said ODNR Fall Color Forester David Parrott.
However, it's possible some of the color Ohioans are seeing aren't caused by the changing of the season.
If the tree is showing its fall hues in the late summer, if the leaves are curled, and if no other tree in the area of the same species is showing color, these are signs that the tree is stressed, such as by having a disease, insects or lack of moisture. That's why trees in urban settings tend to change more quickly than those in other areas because they face more stressors.
According to the Smoky Mountains website, northern Ohio will hit its peak near mid-October with central Ohio following close behind near Halloween.
ODNR spotlights a few places throughout the state to few the beautiful colors, such as Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Hocking Hills State park and Hueston Woods State Park.
"True fall color is primarily brought on by the shortening of the days which triggers the trees to prepare for colder weather," ODNR said.