Leaves of Mississippi with Kids: A Nature Explorer Guide (+ Free Map)

Mississippi's forests are full of fascinating trees, and each autumn the hardwood hills and river bluffs blaze with the scarlet of red maples, the star-shaped brilliance of sweetgums, and the gold of hickories and poplars. Beyond the color, Mississippi's trees are full of surprises for kids: the sweetgum with its five-pointed star leaves and spiky "gumball" seed pods, the shagbark hickory whose peeling bark makes a perfect hiding place for bats, the loblolly pine whose name means "mud puddle," and sassafras leaves that smell like root beer. From the Natchez Trace to Vicksburg, learning to read the leaves turns any Mississippi walk into a discovery.

This guide maps the best spots to find Mississippi's most fascinating leaves and trees with kids. Give your young explorer a mission before you go with Nature Explorer Club's Leaves of Mississippi Activity Book to track every leaf your family discovers.

Best Spots for Leaf and Tree Spotting in Mississippi

We mapped the best tree-spotting locations in Mississippi so you can plan your adventure before you go.

1. Bienville National Forest — A large central Mississippi forest of pine and hardwood, with beautiful trails for tree-spotting.
2. Tishomingo State Park — A stunning northeastern park of rock formations, mossy boulders, and rich hardwood forest — spectacular in fall.
3. Clark Creek Natural Area — A wild area of steep forested gorges and waterfalls, with towering hardwoods and diverse trees.
4. Vicksburg National Military Park — A historic park whose wooded grounds and old trees make for a beautiful, meaningful family walk.
5. LeFleur's Bluff State Park, Jackson — An easy urban park with woods along the river, great for learning trees close to the city.
6. Holly Springs National Forest — A northern Mississippi forest of pine, oak, and hickory with fine fall color.
7. Ross Barnett Reservoir — A large reservoir ringed by cypress, pine, and hardwoods along the shoreline.
8. Jeff Busby Park — A Natchez Trace site at one of the highest points in Mississippi, with forest views and diverse trees.
9. Windsor Ruins — A hauntingly beautiful historic site where towering columns stand among old trees.
10. Emerald Mound — A large ancient Native American ceremonial mound, surrounded by open ground and trees along the Natchez Trace.

Make the Adventure Real The Leaves of Mississippi Activity Book turns your trip into a hands-on mission for ages 7–12 — with a species tracker, fun facts, drawing pages, games, and puzzles. Shop the Book Get the Full MS Set

Family Tips for Leaf and Tree Spotting in Mississippi

• Collect a star-shaped sweetgum leaf and a gumball. The spiky seed pod and five-pointed leaf make the sweetgum easy and fun to identify — and its leaves turn red, orange, yellow, and purple all on one tree.
• Find a shagbark hickory. Its bark peels off in long, shaggy strips — and bats actually roost behind those loose strips, a fact kids love.
• Crush a sassafras leaf and smell it. It smells like root beer — and a single tree can have three leaf shapes (oval, mitten, and three-lobed), a fun hunt for kids.
• Look for a "turkey foot" oak leaf. The Southern red oak's leaf has a long center lobe that makes it look like a turkey's footprint.

Frequently Asked Questions: Leaves of Mississippi with Kids

What is the state tree of Mississippi?

The Southern magnolia is Mississippi's state tree — a beautiful evergreen with large, glossy dark-green leaves and enormous fragrant white flowers that can be a foot across. Mississippi is nicknamed "The Magnolia State," and magnolias are among the most ancient flowering plants on Earth, older than bees.

Where can families see fall color in Mississippi?

Tishomingo State Park in the northeast is spectacular, with rock formations framed by hardwood forest. Clark Creek Natural Area, Holly Springs National Forest, and the Natchez Trace Parkway also offer beautiful fall color, usually peaking in late October and early November.

Which Mississippi tree smells like root beer?

The sassafras tree's leaves smell like root beer when crushed — in fact, sassafras was once used to flavor root beer. It's also remarkable because a single tree can grow three different leaf shapes: oval, two-lobed (like a mitten), and three-lobed. The leaves turn brilliant orange, yellow, and red in fall.

Why is the shagbark hickory important for bats?

The shagbark hickory's bark peels away from the trunk in long, loose vertical strips, creating narrow gaps between the bark and the tree. Bats roost in those gaps during the day — it's a natural bat house. The tree also produces nuts that squirrels and chipmunks love.

What's an easy way for kids to start identifying trees?

Start with leaf shape — is it a simple single leaf (like maple, oak, or sweetgum), a compound leaf made of leaflets (like shagbark hickory), or a needle (like loblolly pine)? Then look at bark and any nuts, cones, or seed pods. Distinctive Mississippi trees like the star-leaved sweetgum, the shaggy-barked hickory, the root-beer-scented sassafras, and the long-needled loblolly pine make great first species to learn.

Turn Your Mississippi Adventure Into a Real Leaf Exploration

Give your kids a mission before you go. Our Leaves of Mississippi Activity Book is a nature journal for ages 7 to 12 — with a leaf tracker, fun facts about each species, leaf category guides, drawing pages, games, and puzzles.

Or get all four Mississippi nature books together — the Mississippi Nature Explorer Series bundles the Birds, Butterflies, Leaves, and Wildflowers of Mississippi activity books.

Also exploring Mississippi's nature? Read our family guides to Birds of Mississippi with Kids, Butterflies of Mississippi with Kids, and Wildflowers of Mississippi with Kids.