Why do AUTUMN leaves change colors?
The amazing time of fall is officially here and you are getting the sense of autumn in the air. Golden leaves lay scattered on the ground, and the smell of dampness filling the air gives a different feeling of the annual. This means the leaves will change their color from green to different shades of red, yellow, and orange. But what exactly makes this transfiguration? All it boils down to is photosynthesis! Three factors influence autumn leaf color: leaf pigments, length of night, and weather. Leaves change color as chlorophyll, begins to break down in c0lder weather. As the season changes, temperatures drop and days get shorter. Trees get less direct sunlight, and the chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down. When the temperature drops down and there's less daylight, the tree begins to conserve the energy it generated in the spring and summer months. As autumn progresses, the tree will send pigments that are directed to take apart chlorophyll pigments. Once the chlorophyll breaks ...