Have You Ever Heard Of Leaves Changing Color Get To Know Everything

With September almost here, let’s take some time to learn more about leaves; they’re so much more than something you rake up.It’s that time of year again. Leaves are changing color, the days are getting shorter, and it’s feeling like fall is just around the corner!Have you ever heard of Red Maple? English Oak? Or Incense Cedar? You’ll find out all about them in this article. And you’ll also find out why leaves change colors in the first place.The color of a leaf isn’t just something that is there. It can tell you important things about the tree. For example, when different trees are competing for sunlight, their leaves will change color before they fall off to better hide from other trees. The same is true of some animals, like deer and elk. That time of year when they hide in the woods? It’s called a rut. It’s their mating season.The nice thing about leaves, though, is that they grow back each year. So no matter what happens to them, all is not lost. The tree, a forest, or even the ecosystem can all bounce back over time and recover from a disease or disaster.Autumn LeavesAutumn leaves are beautiful, but they are just a part of the amazing world around us.Keep an eye out for them as the leaves change color this fall season, and keep an eye out for all the other things we have to appreciate about our forests.If a tree is in full sunlight, for example, its leaves will be green. But if the tree is in a shadier place, like at the bottom of a hill or grove, its leaves may turn brown instead.A tree’s leaves may turn yellow, red, or even white if it’s under stress from disease or pollution! The color of the leaf can tell you if something is wrong.Autumn ColorsThe change in the color of the autumn season leaves is caused by a chemical process that requires the presence of light.Leaf color is produced by pigments (orange leaves in red-leaved trees, brown color in yellow-leaved trees, and green leaves in most other types) collectively known as carotenoids.These are the same pigments found in carrots, green peppers, and many other brightly colored vegetables, so it’s no surprise that these are also found in leaves.Autumn colors are as beautiful as the fall colors.Types Of LeavesThere are many different types of leaves. For example, the leaves of your maple trees might look and feel a lot like a maple leaf, but underneath they’re different types altogether.The leaf of a maple tree is made up of just two pieces; the main cell that produces the shape and arrangement of veins in the leaf, plus an upper or lower surface (surfactant).The upper surface is where the light comes in.Other types of leaves are called simple leaves or non-compound leaves. These are the typical leaves that we see on a maple tree or a tree in our parks and urban forests.Compound leaves are created by collections of similar types of cells (called trichomes) that join together into tiny leaflets. These are the types of leaves seen on an aspen (and many weeds).Interesting Facts About Leaves Changing ColorLeaves become red when a plants’ chlorophyll breaks down during autumn. But why? Chlorophyll is what gives plants its green color and feeds on sunlight. When the days get shorter, and there aren’t any more hours of sunlight, the chlorophyll starts to break down. This leaves us with fall colors.This happens in the spring too. When a new leaf is formed in the spring, it’s green because it still has chlorophyll inside of it. Over the season, the chlorophyll breaks down, leaving us with a mix of colors (yellow and orange) throughout summer.The pigment works some magic in spring, fall, and summer.Speaking of chlorophyll breaking down in a plant, the green disappears in the plant leaves, and the oranges become visible; that is a splendid look of the fall we are imagining. Chlorophyll is the reason the leaves go from yellow to orange.If you’ve ever wondered why maple leaves go from green to red in fall, it’s just the same process as our summer color change. What sets them apart is their high concentration of a pigment called anthocyanin.There is a lot of variety in the timing of leaf changes from one year to the next. Sometimes leaves turn a significant color such as brown or yellow quite early in the season, leaving much of the season before it turns green again.These differences are partly due to the weather at that time and partly due to differences between trees. Some trees showing secondary leaf changes and some not will be given below.The process of leaves changing color is called abscission. Other trees have different timing of leaf changes, partly due to differences in light conditions, and also according to the time of year, there is a lot of variation among trees.Some trees may change color at different times depending on other factors such as previous leaf color, weather conditions, or even temperature. For example, some maple leaves change color in late August while others are green throughout July.Unlike evergreen trees, deciduous trees bring autumn foliage with a change of colors. The leaf stem develops a special cell layer severing the tissues supporting the leaves with these fall changes.The trees seal the cut, after which the leaves are blown off in fall and autumn.It is to be noted that the autumn trees shed leaves in beautiful orange, red, and purple and similar bright colors. Purplish and reddish bright fall colors are pretty popular. Usually, the chemical processes in trees here change from summer to winter.The chemical absorbs the energy used in carbon dioxide and water transformation to food from the sun.

With September almost here, let’s take some time to learn more about leaves; they’re so much more than something you rake up.