Well fall is here and winter soon approaching. My favorite month of the year, October, is almost finished.
This autumn has been unusually wet..lots of rain and cloudy days. But apparently we have had enough sunshine to cause the leaves to change. The trees have been especially colorful this season.
The website "Environmental Education for Kids" had a lot of interesting information about leave color. Some facts we learned in grade school but have probably forgotten:
There are three pigments that color leaves. Chlorophyll is responsible for the green, carotenoid for the yellow, orange and brown and anthocyanins create the red.
Chlorophyll allows the trees to use sunshine to produce food. Chlorophyll and carotenoid are in the leaf cells during the entire growing season. The chlorophyll covers the carotenoid which is why the leaves are green in the summer.
Anthocyanins are produced in the autumn and only only under certain conditions. Not all trees can produce anthocyanins.
Trees respond to decreasing sunlight by producing less and less chlorophyll. The tree eventually stops production of the chlorophyll. At that point, the carotenoid can finally show through, causing the display of yellows, oranges and browns.
Some identifying tree leaf colors:
Oaks: red, brown, russet
Hickories: golden, bronze
Dogwood: purple, red
Birch: bright yellow
Poplar: golden yellow
Maple: a whole range of colors, orange, glowing yellow, bright scarlet
Soon the leaves will be gone and we will be contemplating snow and ice! Until then...
HAPPY AUTUMM!!!
click on grooveshark for "Autumn Leaves"
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