The beautiful colors we experience as autumn approaches are something we look forward to every year.  Reds, oranges, and yellows mix with the summer greens to let us know colder temperatures are here.

Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?

Why do a leaves colors change?  It has to do to with chlorophyll, the part of the plant that makes a plant’s leaves green.  Chlorophyll also plays a major part in photosynthesis, which is the ability of the plant to use sunlight to make its own food.  During the warm seasons, chlorophyll absorbs sunlight, which causes a chemical reaction to make glucose, which feeds a plant.

Pigments You Don’t Normally See

A tree’s leaves have pigments in them that we can’t observe when chlorophyll is present.

In the fall, In the fall, colder temperatures and the earth’s tilt away from the sun causes the chlorophyll to break down. Plants make colored pigments at the end of the summer season; we observe them as the chlorophyll deteriorates. The bright yellows in an oak tree contain a pigment called xanthophyll and the dark red of a maple contains anthocyanin.  These trees display a brilliantly colored picture.

What Is Leaf Chromatography?

To read more and experiment with chromatography, click here to visit our author’s site!