Related Posts
Endangered Species of the Week: Dawn redwood
Species: Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
Status: Critically Endangered (CR)
Interesting Fact: The dawn redwood was known only from ancient fossils,...
Discovery: Freshwater Turtle Hatchlings Capable of Changing Color
Camouflage comes naturally for a number of animals. Chamaeleons are extremely notorious for their ability to change colors....
Creature Feature: The Leaf-Nosed LizardThis week’s Creature Feature takes us to the cloud forests of the Knuckles Mountains in Sri Lanka.
The Leaf-Nosed...
Get Ready for Fall With Eco-friendly Power Rake
It seems that by the time October and November roll around, you spend half the time raking the...
Are hurricanes linked to ocean color?
A new study explores the relationship between tropical storms and the color of the ocean.
Areas of ocean with...
Tip of the Day
When given the choice, take the stairs instead of the elevator to save energy and workout at the same time!
Fall Foliage: Why Leaves Change Color and Other Useful Information
Image Source: Flickr. By: Jeff Kubina.
Given all that information, have you ever wondered why the leaves change color? Why don’t they simply fall off the trees while they’re still green? Why do they have to fall off the trees (or other wild plants) at all?
As the weather becomes colder and the sunlight decreases, the tree starts to shut down. The trunk and thick branches can withstand a harsh winter, but the flimsy little leaves cannot. So, the tree basically cuts off the food supply to the leaves and any other plant tissue that cannot live through the winter. This is to ensure the tree’s survival. With the exception of Oak leaves, once this food supply cutoff is completed, the leaves fall off the tree. Oak leaves will stay attached to the tree even through winter.
During this cutoff process is when the color changing happens. First, you might see orange or yellow colored leaves. These colors appear when the chlorophyll (which makes them green) goes away. Red coloring comes from the food still trapped in the leaves and the brown colors appear when there is waste trapped in the leaves.
If you’re wondering when the best time is to see the colors, well, that varies greatly. Different trees change color at different times and the zone and climate you’re in also plays a role. However, trees typically change color anytime between late September and early November. It should also be noted that the color of the leaf depends on the type of tree. For example: Oaks and Dogwoods will turn a reddish or brown color, Birches and Poplars will turn a yellowish color, and Maples can turn any shade of orange, red or yellow.
To find out more about Autumn foliage (including some projects for the kids), check out these links:
The Foliage Network
A Complete Fall Color and Autumn Leaf Guide
Leaf Peeping
Why Do Leaves Change Colors in the Fall?
Autumn Leaf Color
Autumn Leaves
Why Do Leaves Change Color?
Why More Autumn Leaves are Red in America and Yellow in Europe
The Science of Color in Autumn Leaves
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: autumn colors, climate, fall foliage, leaf colors, orange, red, survival, trees, weather, why do leaves change color, Yellow
One comment
You can also log in to post a comment.
Other Greenfudge.org posts
World Bank blames deforestation on organized crime
Justice for Forests, a new report from the World Bank, claims that illegal logging is a $10-15bn (€7.5-11bn) global business. Perhaps the most shocking figure contained in Justice for Forests is that every second forestland the size of a soccer field/football pitch is illegally logged. As much as 90% of all timber felled each year is cut illegally. The report attributes this massive deforestation to organized crime and corrupt officials. A quote from the report (via BBC News): All too often, investigations -...
Stubborn Weeds Force Farmers to Resort to Oudated, Environmentally Hazardous Methods
How many of you have an outdoor garden? Okay, and how many of you use Roundup weed killer? Although Roundup has a reputation of being one of the top weed killers on the market and much safer than other chemical alternatives, there are still some stubborn weeds out there that are resistant to Roundup and have actually evolved over the past 34 years (since Roundup’s introduction). Unfortunately, this weed evolution has forced farmers (and others) to resort to some outdated...
Smart Ways to cut your bills with Wind Energy
There are many types of alternative energy sources that you can use to help save money, and you will find that working with wind energy can be one of the best and most efficient ways to help you cut back on your expenses. You are able to obtain unlimited amounts of energy once your wind turbine is set up, and you will find that you can save a good deal of money thanks to the energy that you can generate...
The Pig Factory: The Cruel and Bizarre Industry Behind Pork Chops and Swine Flu
"Industrial farms are super-incubators for viruses,” -Bob Martin, former executive director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Animal Farm Production (from wired.com May 1, 2009) The modern, industrialized American pig lives for about six months from birth to slaughter, during which it spends its entire life eating in a cramped steel and concrete enclosure, paradoxically sterile and yet separated by a steel floor of steel grating, only a few centimeters above a cesspool of the pigs’ own excrement. The scent is...
Update: Java’s Merapi volcano erupts
Java’s Merapi volcano’s increased activity we told you about yesterday, resulted in three eruptions this morning, “spewing volcanic ash as high as 1.5 kilometers and searing heat clouds down the slopes”, according to local government volcanologist Surono. Since the increased activity of the volcano, and especially after the first eruption this morning, evacuation of local population has begun. A perimeter of 10 kilometers around the crater of the Merapi volcano was set up, and close to 19.000 people where asked to...
UN launches International Year of Biodiversity in response to global species loss
The strains of human civilization take their toll on the natural environment in many ways – not least among them the biodiversity of our planet. The loss of species is in fact unsustainable – to both the species and ecosystems that vanish and to humanity who benefits from those species and ecosystems in so many ways. According to a BBC News report the UN lists among these benefits 'purification of air and water, protection from extreme weather events, and the...
Teaching Your Kids About the Environment
As many parents know, as soon as children start to talk, they start to ask questions. Studies say that most 4-year-olds ask about an average of 400 questions per day (though they haven’t met my niece, who asks that many questions before breakfast). “Why is the sky blue?” “Why is that flower yellow?” and of course, probably the most asked question when toddlers begin to stretch their limits -“Why NOT?” Yes, children between the ages of 4 to 7 can...
Death toll from Russian oil rig hits 16
On Sunday a Russian oil platform capsized between Sakhalin Island and the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Sea of Okhotsk off far eastern Russia. The oil rig, which was manned by 67 people subcontracted by Russian oil giant Gazprom, was being towed during a storm when heavy winds toppled it into the sea. So far Russian authorities have confirmed 16 deaths and a rescue raft with 15 people has been spotted, but it is not known how many on the raft – if...
Greener Cities and the Drivers Who Call Them Home
Urban Forestry is a growing trend in cities looking to actively clean their air and water while making streets aesthetically pleasing for pedestrians, bike riders, and drivers as well. While I could list any number of benefits trees in urban areas have been shown to produce, there was one advantage that I didn’t expect to see: safer, more eco friendly carsdriving through cities. Now, you might be wondering how trees help to slow drivers down and create an atmosphere where greener...
Last talks before Cancun climate summit held in China this week
This week the final UN climate talks leading up to the summit in Cancun Mexico will be held in Tianjin, China, a large manufacturing city of over 12 million people. In the aftermath of a failed climate summit in Copenhagen last December, hope for any binding treaty between nations is slim. Kyoto part 2 seems like a politically impossible pipedream. Good news for the fossil fuel industry, bad news for most everyone else. If we believe the scientists, that is. From a...
View all articles
I have two maple trees that are right beside each other, one has literally no leaves left, while the other has almost all still on?