Leaf guide › Conifers
Tamarack and larch
Larix laricina, Larix occidentalis
The conifer that turns gold and drops its needles, like a hardwood in disguise.
- Fall color
- Yellow
- Turns
- Mid to late
- Leaves
- Needles in tufts on short spurs
- Size
- Needles about 1 to 2 in. long
- Found in
- Great Lakes & North Woods, New England & New York, Rockies, Pacific Northwest
Tamarack and larch fall color
Color: Tamarack and larch turn a soft gold and then drop all their needles. A stand of golden tamaracks among dark spruce in a northern bog is one of the late highlights of the season.
When it turns: From the middle to the late part of the season.
Typical peak where it’s common: from about September 18 at Ely, Minnesota, to about October 15 at Leavenworth, Washington, across the 7 destinations we track where it’s a main source of fall color.
Where you’ll see it this fall
Tamarack and larch is one of the main trees in the fall color at these destinations. Dates are the typical peak.
Minnesota: Ely (Sep 18), Grand Marais (Sep 26), Duluth (Sep 28)
Montana: West Glacier (Oct 7), Missoula (Oct 9)
Washington: Leavenworth (Oct 15)
Wisconsin: Minocqua (Sep 27)
How to recognize it
- Soft needles in tufts of 10 to 30 on short knobby spurs (about 10 to 20 on tamarack, more on western larch).
- Needles turn gold in fall, then fall off. The tree is bare all winter.
- Tamarack grows in bogs and wetlands across the North.
- Western larch grows on mountain slopes in Montana, Idaho, and the Northwest.
Where to find it
Look for tamarack in bogs, fens, and wet lowlands across the North Woods and northern New England, and for western larch on mountain slopes in Montana, Idaho, and the Northwest.
Easy to confuse with
Worth knowing
Larches are one of the few conifers that lose all their needles every year, while most evergreens hold on to theirs for several years. In the North Cascades, golden subalpine larches draw crowds every October.
Those needles are true leaves, just narrow ones. See are pine needles leaves?
Common questions
What color do tamarack and larch turn in fall?
Tamarack and larch turn a soft gold and then drop all their needles. A stand of golden tamaracks among dark spruce in a northern bog is one of the late highlights of the season.
When do tamarack and larch change color?
From the middle to the later part of the local season, often after the maples around them have peaked.
How can you tell tamarack and larch from spruce and fir?
Spruce and fir: Needles grow one at a time, not in tufts, and stay green all year. Tamarack and larch: Soft needles in tufts of 10 to 30 on short knobby spurs (about 10 to 20 on tamarack, more on western larch).
Where do tamarack and larch grow?
In the lower 48, look for them in the Great Lakes & North Woods, New England & New York, the Rockies, and the Pacific Northwest.
See where the color is peaking today.
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