EVER WONDER?
Why do leaves change color? 🍁
Leaves change color in the fall because the days get shorter and the air gets cooler.
Why are leaves green? 🌿
Leaves look green in spring and summer because they’re full of chlorophyll, the pigment plants use to make food from sunlight. Since chlorophyll is green, the leaves look green.
What changes in the fall? 🍂
When there’s less sunlight and cooler temperatures:
Chlorophyll breaks down, and the tree stops making more of it.
As the green color fades, other hidden colors that were already in the leaf start to show.
Where do the colors come from? 🎨
Carotenoids make the yellows and oranges. (These are the same pigments in carrots and pumpkins!)
Anthocyanins make the reds and purples.
Tannins make the leaf brown.
Why do leaves fall off? 🍁
Trees drop leaves to save water and energy during winter. A special layer of cells forms at the base of the leaf stem, blocking water and nutrients from going to the leaf. That makes the leaf dry up and fall.
Fun fact: the word “fall” (for autumn) comes from the 1500s phrase “fall of the leaf.”