Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?

Leaves change color in the fall because they stop making chlorophyll, which is the green pigment that helps plants make food. When there's less sunlight and cooler temperatures, trees begin to shut down for winter, and other colors like red and yellow come out from pigments already inside the leaves. It's like taking off a green mask to show what was underneath all along!

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Examples

  1. A maple tree shows off its red leaves like a fiery outfit for autumn.
  2. An oak tree’s leaves turn from green to yellow, making it look like a sunny umbrella.
  3. Pine trees stay green all year, but their neighbors become colorful in the fall.

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Categories: Environment · plants· seasons· science · Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.