By: Emma Grace Beard

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) —

Across the Ozarks, the trees are beginning their annual transition.

This year’s display, however, is not quite what residents and visitors are used to seeing.

“It’s not going to be quite as beautiful as ever, but I’m really surprised we’re having any fall color at all, given our conditions,” Garry McDonald, horticulture associate professor, said.

For those keeping a close eye on the changing trees, including nature photographer Damon Shaw, the season is not just looking different. It is also running behind schedule.

“Typically we see from about Halloween to the first few days of November as the peak in Northwest Arkansas. This year it is probably at least a week behind. It’s probably going to be more like the second week of November,” Shaw said.

Shaw says he sees a clear difference when he compares this year’s foliage to what he’s photographed in previous years.

“Typically, you know, this tree is, you know, yellow, orange, or red, but you can also see that the colors are more muted. It’s not quite as vibrant as it typically is,” Shaw said.

Mount Sequoyah is one place where people can take in the changing fall scenery, but the extended drought and heat also raised concerns about the health of some of the campus’s oldest trees.

“Thank goodness about a month ago we got some rain, and so now we’ve started to see some of the color, but before that we were real concerned that they were just going to turn brown and fall off, but we’re starting to see color on campus now,” John Berry, Mt. Sequoyah director of hospitality, said.

With more color expected in the coming days, the fall season is still unfolding across northwest Arkansas.