Leaf guide › Birches & beeches
American beech
Fagus grandifolia
Golden bronze leaves, with young trees holding pale tan leaves all winter.
- Fall color
- YellowBronze
- Turns
- Mid to late
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 2.5–5 in. long
- Found in
- New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest
How to recognize it
- Oval leaf with straight, evenly spaced side veins.
- Each vein ends in a small tooth at the edge.
- Thin, papery texture.
- Smooth, elephant-gray bark.
Where to find it
Look for it in mature, shady hardwood forests, often alongside sugar maple. Its smooth gray bark, often carved with initials, makes it easy to spot even in winter.
Where you’ll see it this fall
American beech is one of the main trees in the fall color at these destinations. Dates are the typical peak.
Maine: Rangeley (Oct 1), Greenville (Oct 1), Millinocket (Oct 3), Bethel (Oct 8)
Massachusetts: Lenox (Oct 14), Williamstown (Oct 15), Shelburne Falls (Oct 17)
Michigan: Mackinac Island (Oct 4), Traverse City (Oct 8)
New Hampshire: Franconia Notch (Oct 3), Jackson (Oct 8), Lincoln (Oct 9), North Conway (Oct 10), Hanover (Oct 11), Keene (Oct 15)
New York: Lake Placid (Oct 2), Old Forge (Oct 6), Cooperstown (Oct 12), Hunter (Oct 13), Lake George (Oct 13), Letchworth State Park (Oct 14), Saratoga Springs (Oct 15), Ithaca (Oct 16), Watkins Glen (Oct 17), Albany (Oct 17), Buffalo (Oct 18), Woodstock (Oct 18)
North Carolina: Mount Mitchell (Oct 7)
Ohio: Cleveland (Oct 24)
Rhode Island: Newport (Oct 29)
Tennessee: Kuwohi (Oct 8)
Vermont: Smugglers' Notch (Sep 30), Jay Peak (Oct 1), Killington (Oct 6), Stowe (Oct 7), Montpelier (Oct 9), Burlington (Oct 9), Woodstock (Oct 11), Manchester (Oct 12), Bennington (Oct 14), Brattleboro (Oct 16)
West Virginia: Snowshoe (Oct 10), Davis (Oct 17)
Wisconsin: Sturgeon Bay (Oct 9)
Easy to confuse with
American hornbeam
Smaller leaf with double teeth, and a trunk that looks like flexed muscle.
American chestnut
Much longer leaf with bristle-tipped teeth.
Worth knowing
Beech leaf disease, first found in Ohio in 2012, causes dark bands between the veins and is spreading across the Northeast. If you see striped beech leaves, local forestry agencies want to know. Young beeches are one of the trees that hold their dead leaves through winter.
Common questions
What color does American beech turn in fall?
American beech turns golden yellow and then a warm bronze. On young trees and lower branches, the leaves fade to a pale, papery tan and often stay on all winter.
When does American beech change color?
From the middle to the later part of the local season, after most maples. Its golden bronze often carries a hillside after peak.
How can you tell American beech from American hornbeam?
American hornbeam: Smaller leaf with double teeth, and a trunk that looks like flexed muscle. American beech: Oval leaf with straight, evenly spaced side veins.
Where does American beech grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, the Great Lakes & North Woods, the Appalachians, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest.
See where the color is peaking today.
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