Fall foliage is all about… the leaves, of course. But it’s not just maple trees. Plants such as poison ivy also contribute to the show.
Poison Ivy
And even when leaves are changing colors, they are all on their own schedule. There is no magic bullet for finding local foliage–at best, we all guess about the best “peak” foliage time. It also depends on where you look. Your own backyard may contain stunning color.
Maple leaves
Check the edges of local ponds. The edge of fields. Search out the best overlooks in your area.
Hopkinton (MA) State Park
Learning to recognize maple, oak, birch, and ash trees will add to your appreciation of fall colors in New England. You may find yourself looking at the countryside differently throughout spring and summer as well.
Sugar Maple, Uxbridge, MA
Prepare to be surprised along roadsides. The perfect setting for great pictures doesn’t always happen, but even if everything isn’t perfect, there is still great potential for wonder. Kind of like life. Don’t wait till everything is perfect; it never will be. It might be pretty amazing, but first you have to look.
Marjorie Turner Hollman
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 
Love it, “Don’t wait until everything is perfect. It never will be.”
SO TRUE.
And we teach what we most need to learn. Have to keep reminding myself of this truth all the time…