Why do leaves change colors in fall?
Did you know that the color a leaf turns in the fall is its “true” color?
During the spring and summer, a leaf is a food factory for the tree. Its surface is filled with chlorophyll, which absorbs the sun′s light and through a process called photosynthesis converts it to food.
Tree and plant leaves contain pigments that give them their color. Three pigments are involved in fall color:
During the growing season, most tree leaves are green because they are full of chlorophyll. Plants use chlorophyll to capture sunlight for photosynthesis, the process that enables them to manufacture their own food. The amount of chlorophyll is so high during the summer that the green color masks all other pigments present in the leaf. As the days grow shorter in the fall, chlorophyll production slows down and eventually stops. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that are present in the leaf then become visible:
-Dogwood turns purplish red;
-Beech turns light tan;
-Red maple turns brilliant scarlet
-Sugar maple turns orange-red;
-Black maple turns glowing yellow;
-Sourwood and black tupelo turn crimson;
-Aspen, birch, and yellow-poplar turn golden yellow.
