Something almost magical happens every fall. What is it? This is a change in the color of the leaves on the trees. Some of the most beautiful autumn trees:
These trees (and any other trees that lose the leaves) are called deciduous.
Little forest
A deciduous tree is a tree that loses the leaves in the fall and grows new in the spring. Each year, deciduous trees pass through a process in which their green leaves become bright yellow, gold, orange and red for several weeks before they acquire a brown color and fall to the ground.
What are the leaves for
In September, October and November, we enjoy a change in the color of the leaves of the tree. But the trees themselves do not change the color, so you need to find out why the leaves turn yellow. There is actually a reason for color autumn diversity.
Photosynthesis is a process that trees (and plants) are used for “cooking”. Getting energy from the sun, water from the Earth and carbon dioxide from the air, they turn glucose (sugar) into “food” so that they can grow into strong, healthy plants.
In the leaves of the tree (or plant) there is photosynthesis thanks to chlorophyll. Chlorophyll also does another job, it stains the leaves in green.
When and why the leaves turn yellow
So, until the leaves absorb enough heat and the energy of the sun for food, the leaves on the tree remain green. But when the seasons change, in places where deciduous trees grow, cold. Days become shorter (less sunlight). When this happens, chlorophyll in the leaves becomes more difficult to cook the food necessary to preserve green. Thus, instead of making more food, the leaves begin to use the nutrients that they stored in the leaves in the warm season.
When the leaves use food (glucose), which has accumulated in them, a layer of empty cells is formed at the base of each sheet. These cells are spongy like a cork. Their task is to act as a door between the leaf and the rest of the tree. This door closes very slowly and is “open” until all the food from the sheet is spent.
Remember: chlorophyll makes plants and leaves green
During this process, different shades on the leaves of trees are manifested. Red, yellow, gold and orange are hidden in the leaves all summer. They are simply not visible in the warm season due to a large amount of chlorophyll.
Yellowing forest
As soon as all the food is spent, the leaves turn yellow, become brown, die and fall to the ground.
