Mass Audubon – Your Great Outdoors | A Mass Audubon Blog

All across Massachusetts, the landscape is lighting up with the brilliant colors of fall. Get the most of the season from great fall hikes to photography tips.

Top 10 Fall Foliage Hikes

The diversity of plant species across Mass Audubon’s wildlife sanctuaries means you can experience the radiance of fall foliage in an incredible variety of ways. We’ve gathered together 10 spectacular autumn hikes at wildlife sanctuaries across Massachusetts to inspire you to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of the season.

Timing of Fall Foliage

Have you ever noticed that the progression of fall foliage follows a natural schedule? Certain plants become colorful early in the season, and others take their time. Here’s a quick viewer’s guide to autumn color changes.

Fall Photography at Mass Audubon

Mass Audubon’s wildlife sanctuaries are often the perfect place to snap a stunning photo of the landscapes, late-blooming flowers, and wildlife that make fall so special in the Northeast. In fact, many of the sanctuaries offer photography workshops.

See some exquisite fall photographs taken by some of the talented photographers that lead these programs, along with their best advice for lighting, composition, and technique to capture the highlights of fall in all its splendor.

The Science of Foliage

When you’re checking out nature’s painterly display, do you ever wonder why the leaves change color in the fall? Get the details.

Fall Color Activity Page

This coloring page is full of plants and animals that you can see in the fall—and it is ready for you to color! Download the page and get a quick guide to the species on the page and the colors they are in real life.

Before You Pick Up That Rake

Oh, leaves. There’s so much we love about you. The first sight of your flowers in the spring; the sound you make when you blow in the breeze during summer; your brilliant shades of red, yellow, and orange come fall. And then you drop to the ground and become another thing on our to-do list.

If this sounds familiar, don’t fret—we can help. Before you break out the rake, check out our top 5 uses for fall leaves.

Happy leaf-peeping!

Fall is a great time to see a variety of waterfowl as they pass through Massachusetts on their way to their wintering grounds. Brant, Surf and White-winged Scoters, and Red-breasted Mergansers are best viewed along the sea coast, while Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teal, and Ring-necked Ducks are more likely to be found in marshes or on open bodies of freshwater anywhere in the state.

To see waterfowl to best advantage, join an expert naturalist during a guided fall waterfowl program at one of Mass Audubon’s wildlife sanctuaries. Or simply enjoy these five spectacular images of migrants you might be lucky enough to spot yourself, all previously submitted to our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest.