One of Mother Nature’s most beautiful times of the year is when she gets tired of the summer and decides it is finally time to start her fall display. Headlined by the deciduous trees shedding their leaves in preparation for the winter months. It is truly a sight to see when the Acer Saccharum turn their bright orange, the Acer Rubrum turn their fiery red and the Populous Tremuloides turn a gorgeous gold. The display is enjoyed by many, and we are here to explain why this occurs.

The shortening of the days as the seasons change is what tells the trees that it is time to get ready for hibernation. During the cold winter months, the trees do not receive enough water or light to be able to photosynthesize. In order to make it through safely, the trees will shed their leaves and live off all the nutrients they accumulated over the summer. As the trees begin to shut down, the green chlorophyll will disappear from the leaves.

When the green fades away, shades of yellow, orange and red will remain. These colors were always in the leaves, however not visible because they were covered up by the green chlorophyll. The deep red colors, most famously in Acer Rubrum, are from glucose remaining in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. The cool nights of Autumn combined with the the sunlight, make the leaves turn red. Some trees, like an oak, have a brown fall color which is caused by waste remains in the leaves after the chlorophyll departs. These two factors combined in various ways is what makes the gorgeous autumn display of colors.

Add some awesome colors to your home. Weather it be a single tree or an entire yard makeover, the friendly staff at Wiesner Bros. Nursery is happy to help.