State guide
When to catch Mississippithrough the year
We follow 4 places in Mississippi for spring migration, wildflowers, fall foliage and wildlife by season: fall at Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi and Noxubee Refuge, winter at Noxubee Refuge and spring at Dahomey Refuge and Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi. Each timing below is the place's own source, in its words; none is a forecast.
When are you going?
Fall in Mississippi
- USUAL PEAK · FALL FOLIAGENoxubee RefugeNovember: … Peak of fall colorsMississippi
“November: … Peak of fall colors” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
- SEASON · FALL FOLIAGENatchez Trace Parkway, MississippiFrom mid-October near Nashville to just before Thanksgiving near Jackson, MississippiMississippi
“from mid-October near Nashville to just before Thanksgiving near Jackson, Mississippi” · National Park Service ↗
Also good in fall
- Dahomey RefugeMarbled salamanders move to breeding sites and lay eggs under logs
- Natchez Trace Parkway, MississippiFall color moving south
- Noxubee RefugeEnd of the season for flowering plants
- Yazoo RefugeSouthbound shorebirds use the Cox Ponds, July 15 into November
From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.
Winter in Mississippi
Next peak here after winter
“November: … Peak of fall colors” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Spring in Mississippi
- SEASON · WILDFLOWERSNatchez Trace Parkway, MississippiEarly March through May, section by sectionMississippi
“early March through May, section by section” · National Park Service ↗
- SEASON · WILDLIFE BY SEASONYazoo RefugeFrom March through MayMississippi
“From March through May” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Also good in spring
- Dahomey RefugeMississippi kites return, soaring over the treetops
- Natchez Trace Parkway, MississippiEarly spring wildflowers (middle section)
- Noxubee RefugeRed-cockaded woodpeckers start to nest
- Yazoo RefugeWood ducks nest in the refuge's nest boxes
From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.
Next peak here after spring
“November: … Peak of fall colors” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Summer in Mississippi
Good in summer
- Noxubee RefugeQueen Anne's lace and maypops bloom
- Yazoo RefugeSouthbound shorebirds use the Cox Ponds, July 15 into November
From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.
Next peak here after summer
“November: … Peak of fall colors” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Places in Mississippi
- Spring
- Fall
Places on this map, as a list
Planning a Mississippi trip
Towns to stay in
- Jackson, MSYazoo Refuge · 68 mi
- Hattiesburg, MSBayou Sauvage Refuge · 92 mi
- Tupelo, MSNatchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi · 4 mi
- Meridian, MSNoxubee Refuge · 62 mi
- Greenville, MSYazoo Refuge · 23 mi
- Oxford, MSNatchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi · 46 mi
- Starkville, MSNoxubee Refuge · 14 mi
Nearest place we follow, straight-line miles.
Current park alerts (NPS)
- Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi: Current Park Closures ↗
Browse by season and event
- Spring migration · 1 place hereSpring migration, everywhere →
- Wildflowers · 3 places hereWildflowers, everywhere →
- Fall foliage · 2 places hereFall foliage, everywhere →
- Wildlife by season · 2 places hereWildlife by season, everywhere →
Questions people ask
When is the refuge open at Dahomey Refuge?
From sunrise to sunset.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dahomey NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Do I need to wear orange at Dahomey Refuge?
During all hunting seasons, yes: every visitor must wear at least 500 square inches of visible fluorescent orange above the waist.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dahomey NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)
When is the butterfly garden best at Dahomey Refuge?
Mid-morning and late afternoon. Its flowers bloom through spring and summer, and pollinators stay into early fall.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dahomey NWR: Wildlife Watching ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Why does bloom timing change along the Parkway at Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi?
Flowers open in a wave from the Natchez end northward as the weather warms; the Natchez end blooms about two weeks to a month before the Nashville end. Spring flowers are usually out near Tupelo by early April.Sources: National Park Service, Finding Flowers on the Natchez Trace ↗ (opens in a new tab), National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway common wildflowers ↗ (opens in a new tab)
What's the best way to see them at Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi?
Walk one of the short trails (about 20 to 30 minutes); you see more variety than from the road.Source: National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway common wildflowers ↗ (opens in a new tab)
When does the color reach Mississippi on the Natchez Trace?
The park says leaves normally start to change around mid-October at the northern end near Nashville, and the color works its way south to the Jackson area just before Thanksgiving. It also says the peak cannot be predicted, and it posts color reports every Friday in the fall.Sources: National Park Service, Leaf Peeping Along the Natchez Trace ↗ (opens in a new tab), National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway fall colors ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Nearby state guides: Alabama · Louisiana · Tennessee · Missouri
Mississippi in pictures
How we know
- Sep 29Park ServiceSeasons of Wildlife: spring migrants, copper iris, kites, summer heat, salamanders, winter waterfowlSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dahomey NWR: Species in a new tab)
- Sep 27ReferenceWildflower waves by section; northern (Tennessee) section late March to early JuneSource (opens National Park Service, Finding Flowers on the Natchez Trace in a new tab)
- Sep 27ReferenceHardwoods change in middle to late October; Metal Ford and Swan View Overlook stopsSource (opens National Park Service, Leaf Peeping Along the Natchez Trace in a new tab)
- Sep 29Park ServiceThe refuge's month-by-month Seasons of Wildlife calendar: blossoms, flowers, nesting, migration, fall color and wintering eaglesSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee NWR: Species in a new tab)
- Sep 29Park ServiceWintering ducks and geese; wood ducks nesting March–May in 500+ nest boxes; spring songbirds; pelicans; alligatorsSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Species in a new tab)
- National Park Service sources: no claim to original U.S. Government works.