Connecticut Nature

THE COLORS OF FALL:

WHY DO LEAVES CHANGE COLOR?

Written By: Kirsten Tomlinson, Director of Education at Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut

Have you ever wondered why leaves change color in the fall? Or why trees have no leaves in
the winter? To answer these questions, we must first understand why trees have leaves at all.
During the spring and summer months when the days are long the leaves allow the plant to
make food through a process called photosynthesis. The leaves can do this thanks to a green
pigment in them called chlorophyll. The chlorophyll’s job is to absorb sunlight to provide ener-
gy for photosynthesis. The tree uses this energy from the sunlight along with water and carbon
dioxide to make sugar and oxygen. The sugar is the food for the tree that allows it to survive
and grow. The oxygen is released into the air where we can then use it when we breathe.

As fall approaches the length of the day gets shorter and the temperatures start to get colder.
These changes cause the trees to start to get ready for winter. With less sunlight available
food production begins to slow and the tree must depend on the food that it has stored over
Photography By Britni Pastyrnak.
the summer to survive the winter. Once the food production slows leaves become costly to the
tree. If a tree were to keep its leaves during the winter, the tree would lose lots of water through the leaves that it would not be able to replace once the
ground is frozen. The water in the leaves would also freeze during the winter months causing the leaves to become damaged and die.

To help prevent damage from freezing and to conserve its resources for the winter the tree sends a signal
to the leaves that cause little cells to appear at the place where the leaf meets the branch. These cells
are called “abscission” cells. They have the same root as the word scissors, meaning they are designed,
like scissors, to make a cut. These cells push the leaf stem away from the branch until the leaf falls from
the tree. As the leaves start to be pushed away from the branch the chlorophyll begins to break down.
When this happens, the leaves reveal their true colors that were hidden all summer by the green of the
chlorophyll. Depending on the type of tree leaf colors can range from red, to orange, to yellow, and brown.
With the cooler weather and the colorful leaves, fall is the perfect time to go outside and explore the trees
around you.
Photography By Britni Pastyrnak.

Fall Leaf Go outside and see how many different

Scavenger Hunt colors and shapes of leaves you can find.
Try It!

Leaf Rubbing Collect leaves of different shapes. Place the leaf on a hard surface under a piece of white paper.
Rub the side of a crayon on the paper over the leaf and see an image of the leaf appear like magic.

Leaf Pressing Once you have collected your leaves place them between a couple sheets of newspaper.
Then place a heavy book on them for 1-2 weeks until the leaves are completely dry.

Fall Leaf Discover the hidden colors in leaves by doing this experiment with the help of an adult -
Chromatography https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-leaf-colors/

CCSS.ELA.Reading:
http://elcct.org Informational Text: K-5.2, K-5.3, K-5.8, 2.1, 4.5