Trees are hurting in the drought, but fall color is coming very soon

Statewide Iowa — Many of Iowa’s trees are struggling in the long-running drought. Joe Herring, a district forester with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in Iowa Falls, says some insects are causing problems with trees, and not just the emerald ash borer.

Herring says fall colors should be coming into view soon, starting with a species of small tree or bush found along roadsides, called sumac.

During some drought years, the reds, yellows and oranges of fall appear more vibrantly on several species of trees in particular.

The DNR says the peak of fall color should be during the second week of October for the northern part of the state, and the second through the fourth weeks of October in southern Iowa.