Plant Hardiness Zones. Plant hardiness zones help gardeners understand which plants will most likely survive at a location. It is important that your plants can thrive year-round, surviving extreme temperatures. Note: Zone maps do have shortfalls; if the information is inaccurate, you may live in a microclimate.
In normal years, colors peak in the first week of October on the U.P., the second week of October in northern Lower Michigan and the last two weeks of October in southern Lower Michigan. When the colors do peak, here are some of the best bets for fall foliage viewing from Pure Michigan:
According to the map, those in the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan are predicted to see partial color and the leaves will peak around October 7 -- and for those in Michigan's southern portion, the peak is expected to come around October 14. But dates for peak colors can be hard to predict. The Foliage Network notes: