Have you seen them? Sunset-coloured leaves are starting to appear everywhere.

It is officially autumn (the autumn equinox was yesterday in the NH).

We mostly hear why the leaves are green in the spring and summer months (yes, because of the chlorophyll in the leaves whose job is to absorb sunlight to make sugars so the tree can grow).🌳

Why do leaves change colour?

💡We don’t often hear about why the leaves change in colour, so fun fact:
-In the autumn months the chlorophyll is destroyed, revealing the leaves’ true yellowy-orange colours!
-What about the red? This comes from a pigment that is produced in the tree when temperatures go down and when sugars are more concentrated. This pigment, as you may have guessed, is purply-red (that is also present in red-coloured fruit!)

-Leaves eventually fall off the trees through a natural process, so the tree can preserve its moisture and energy to get through the winter months⚡️