Why Do Autumn Leaves Change Color?
CHAMPAIGN, IL – Skies luminous like a paint palette of blended colors, as greens transform to various hues of red, gold, yellow, brown, and purple in autumn. Each year, leaves change colors and create beautiful scenery, but why and what exactly gives them their bright colors? As we enjoy autumn, we can also take pleasure in understanding the color changing process in leaves. “Numerous factors including geography, growth habits, exposure to light, plant pigments, and weather conditions all play important roles in the fascinating process,” said Jim Skiera, Executive Director of the International Society of Arboriculture. Where are leaf colors are the most vivid? Only a few places in the world have the combination of tree species and climatic conditions necessary for vivid autumn foliage. Deciduous forests and trees, with their many broad leaves that change color almost in unison, display the most noticeable autumn colors. Evergreen species also display changes in color, just slowly and g
