This is more for me mudder than much else - every year the question of 'what makes the leaves change color' is asked and then it's forgotten. I now know some of the answer, so here goes.
Maine Sunday Telegram, September 26th 2010
Maine Sunday Telegram, September 26th 2010
Why do leaves change color?
Leaf colors come from color pigments in their cells that make green, yellow, orange, brown and red.
In a process called photosynthesis, the green pigment uses sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar so the tree can grow. The green pigment works so hard all summer making food for the tree that it hides the other colors.
When fall aproaches, there is less sunlight and the weather gets colder. The tubes that carry water to the leaf close up. Without water, the green pigment stops working and the other colors appear. Leaves don't really "turn" a color, they just lose their green!
Some trees, such as sugar maples, make lots of sugar during sunny fall days. But as the nights get cooler, the sugar sap slows down. When sugar gets trapped inside a leaf, the leaf looks red, crimson or purple.
Leaves turn brown and dry when all the water and food is used up. The tree shuts down for the winter, storing energy to grow new green leaves in the spring.
Thank you my Ney-Ney!!
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting....I would never thought that but then again if I had googled that I probably would have known that!! Dah!!
Love ya!!
Ps....liked the pictures especially leaf boy!!
ReplyDeleteWell, you know with all the googling I do you would have thought I already knew it. If the neighbors hadn't gone on vaca and left me their paper, we would go through this again next year too!
ReplyDeleteMuch love!
....loved all that autumn color, and thanks for posting the info! Cute photo of leaf boy!!
ReplyDeletep.s. Forgot to mention the Blue Jay. He's gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteIt's still always fascinating, isn't it? :c)
ReplyDeleteNice Blue Jay. When my kids were in elementary school, I went into their classrooms as a volunteer to do science lessons. Leaf color change was always a favorite topic with the kids. Of course, that may have been because we went outside. They always enjoyed a trip outside the building.
ReplyDelete