Labor Day Holiday

 "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."        - Albert Camus

 I’ve always enjoyed the change of season to autumn and the vibrant colors; there’s freshness in the air and clear blue skies. Fall is a beautiful time of year, be sure to capture the fun and beauty of it.

 We all enjoy the colors of the autumn leaves but did you ever wonder how and why a leaf changes color in fall? Where do the bright reds, yellows and oranges come from?

 As summer ends and autumn comes, the days get shorter and shorter. This is a signal for them to begin getting ready for winter.  During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis, a process used by plants to make food.  It makes glucose, a kind of sugar, and oxygen from carbon dioxide in the air and water. Cells (very small parts that make up a plant or animal) use glucose to create energy to live.  A chemical called chlorophyll helps makes photosynthesis happen; and this chemical is what gives plants their green color.  

During fall and winter, trees rest and live off the stored food from the summer. They begin to shut down their food-making process or photosynthesis process, the green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves and as the bright green fades away, we begin to see the vivid red, yellow and orange colors.

The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are seen mostly in the fall.  In some trees, like maples, glucose is trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn cause the leaves to turn this glucose into a red color. The brown color we see in trees like oaks is made from wastes left in the leaves.  The combinations of all these things make the beautiful colors we enjoy in the fall.

So the next time you’re relaxing on your patio or in your garden enjoying the gentle breeze gazing at the beautiful colors of the Fall Season, you’ll know why the leaves are changing colors.