Area landscapes are beginning to change as leaves go from green to yellow, orange, and red with fall settling in.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources splits the state into thirds, with the northern third’s peak time to see fall colors as the last week of September through the second week of October. The middle third of the state, which stretches from Waterloo south to Iowa City, with a peak time from the first to third weeks of October. Washington County and the rest of the southern section’s peak time is the second through fourth weeks in October. Currently in southeast Iowa, white ash is beginning to show some purple, while green ash, hickory, cottonwood, walnut and elm are showing some yellow; a few maples in urban areas are showing some red, orange, and yellow. The DNR advises recent drought may cause some premature leaf drop and colors a little sooner than past years.