Leaf guide › Birches & beeches
Paper birch
Betula papyrifera
Bright yellow leaves over chalk-white bark, lighting up northern forests.
Updated
- Fall color
- Yellow
- Turns
- Mid-season
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 2–4 in. long
- Found in
- New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Rockies
How to recognize it
- Oval leaf with a pointed tip and a rounded base.
- Double-toothed edge: large teeth with smaller teeth between.
- Five to nine pairs of straight side veins.
- White bark that peels in thin, papery strips.
Easy to confuse with
Quaking aspen
Rounder leaf with small, even teeth and a flat stem. Bark doesn’t peel.
Gray birch
Triangular leaf with a long, tapering tip.
Worth knowing
Paper birch is the state tree of New Hampshire. Its waterproof bark was used for canoes, containers, and shelters.
Common questions
What color does paper birch turn in fall?
Paper birch turns yellow in fall. Bright yellow leaves over chalk-white bark, lighting up northern forests.
When does paper birch change color?
It usually colors in the middle of the local season, close to overall peak.
How can you tell paper birch from quaking aspen?
Quaking aspen: Rounder leaf with small, even teeth and a flat stem. Bark doesn’t peel. Paper birch: Oval leaf with a pointed tip and a rounded base.
Where does paper birch grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Rockies.
See where the color is peaking today.
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