Field Guide
Trees, leaves and the colour clock
Over thirty trees and shrubs that carry autumn, each with the palette it shows and the shape of its leaf. Then test yourself on the science, the species and the traditions of leaf-peeping around the world.
Leaf shapes 101
Read a leaf in five seconds
Most identification comes down to a few words. Here are the shapes you will meet on an autumn walk.
Autumn quiz
How well do you know the season?
Twelve questions, shuffled each time, on the science, the species and the world traditions of autumn colour.
Around the world
Different names, same hunt
Momijigari — Japan
“Hunting autumn leaves”, practised since the Heian period (794–1185) and widely popular by the 18th century. Kyoto's temples are the classic destination.
Leaf peeping — United States
The term first appeared in print in the Bennington Banner in 1966. New England and New York built a whole tourism season around it.
Ruskaretki — Finland
An autumn excursion to admire the ruska, the burst of colour in Lapland's fells before the polar winter.
Dan pung ku gyeong — South Korea
A “purposeful look at the changing colours of leaves”, with Naejangsan and Seoraksan among the most visited.
Shangye — China
Literally “reward/appreciation of leaves”, a long-standing tradition of autumn viewing in gardens and mountains.
Autumn colour — United Kingdom
Beech, oak and larch turn later here thanks to the mild, damp Gulf Stream climate — often into early November.
Terminology and dates from the Wikipedia article “Leaf peeping”.