Why do the leaves of deciduous trees change color?
Since this site talks about conifer trees, we don’t usually answer questions about deciduous trees. However, this is a question we get a lot! You may know that the green of deciduous leaves comes from the chlorophyll that is needed to make food for the tree. What you may not know is that there are other colors “hidden” in the leaves. They are hidden in the spring and summer because the chlorophyll is busy doing its job and the green color sort of takes over. In the fall, when days get shorter and cooler, the food production slows to a stop. When this happens, the green color of the chlorophyll disappears and the other leaf colors are allowed to show through! Now, that’s a very simple answer. There is a lot going on in these trees during the fall. If you would like to read more, you can find the information at this site: http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.htm!
