What Gives Autumn Leaves Their Colors?
LISLE, Ill. (CBS) - Leaves change color every year, for a sight so beautiful that many Americans plan their vacations around it. But do you know why?
CBS 2's Don Schwenneker has the explanation.
Every October, we get that special moment in time, when our world changes from green to all the colors of the rainbow. And in that short span of a few weeks, the reds, yellows, and oranges add a color to the landscape that many people wait the entire year for.
Our recent warm temperatures, combined with the cool, clear nights have made for a particularly huge palette of fall colors this year.
But did you know that the color you see on the leaves in the fall has actually been hiding there all summer long?
The colors were hidden by the chlorophyll in the plants. Chlorophyll is the green substance in plants that changes sunlight into food through photosynthesis.
As the days get shorter, the chlorophyll dies off, leaving behind the beautiful natural color of the tree.
In Illinois the queen of fall colors is the sugar maple. According to Ed Headborn, manager of plant recors at the Morton Arboretum, the tree can actually change color from year to year.
"The same tree, depending on the weather the particular year, may have yellow fall color, may have orange, may have flaming red fall color, and it all depends on the climate," Headborn said.
The climate can also play a factor in the how bright the colors will be. And with our changing weather from year to year the fall colors you see this fall can actually be a once in a lifetime experience.
The Morton Arboretum, located in west suburban Lisle, has so many types of species of trees from around the world, that when one type of fall color is dying away, the next set of trees is just starting to come into season. Thus, the fall colors last for a while.
The arboretum also has fall colors from around the world, with their vast assortment of trees.
So how long until the leaves turn from vibrant reds and oranges to crusty browns? Sugar maples are peaking now and may be done by the end of the week. Oak trees might have a couple more weeks after that, but then, the fall foliage season will be over.
