Why Leaves Change Color
We are fortunate in New York State to be able to experience the beautiful colors of fall foliage. Did you ever wonder how and why an autumn leaf changes color?
Plants absorb, or take in, water through their roots, and carbon dioxide from the air. With the help of sunlight they convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose, which a kind of sugar. Plants use glucose as food for energy and as a building block for growing. This conversion of turning water and carbon dioxide into sugar is called photosynthesis. Which means "putting together with light."
A chemical called chlorophyll helps make photosynthesis happen. Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green color. At the end of summer the days grow shorter and cooler. Plants slow down, and eventually stop, producing the food necessary to maintain the green color, chlorophyll, which is the dominant color in leaves. This allows the latent colors, such as yellows, reds and oranges to show.
Click on the link to the Conservationist article, Nature's Palette, to find out more.
