A late season for the annual changing of the leaves is entering its peak in south central Iowa. The latest report from the Iowa DNR indicates that oak trees are now just starting to change. There is still some color in the bottomland species like walnut, silver maple, and cottonwood, but they are dropping leaves quickly with the recent rain. Hard maple in cities are vibrant reds and oranges, and the DNR reports good color overall on the landscape. Typically, peak color changing season is in mid-October, but this year’s season has been impacted by long-term drought and a near-record breaking warm start to the autumn season.