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BLOG #7 - WHY DO LEAVES CHANGE COLOR ?

As days grow shorter and temperature cooler, decidious trees prepare for winter dormancy. Lacking sufficient light and water, photosynthesis shuts down and trees must live off food stored during the growing season.
Leaves in Autumn
Trees in Autumn
               In spring, leaves lay the ground work for their demise. A special layer of cells form at the base of each leaf called the abscission or the separation layer. Its work is to transport water to the leaf and take food created from photosynthesis, back to the tree. In autumn, the cells of this layer begin to swell and the bottom of this layer forms a corklike substance that eventually cuts off all transfer between the leaf and the tree. Meanwhile, the top of the layer begins to disintegrate, making it easy for the leaf to detach. As photosynthesis ceases, the leaves lose their chlorophyll, which gives them their green color. Without chlorophyll, other colors emerge.
               Yellow and orange, for example, are normally  present in the leaves but are overshadowed by the chlorophyll. Maple-leaf red occurs because glucose remains when photosynthesis shuts down. Drab-oak brown represents waste left in the leaves.
Maple leaf in Autumn
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