Why do the leaves on the trees change color in the fall?
Usually, tree leaves are green in color. Before explaining the color change, let us first explain why leaves are green.
The leaves of trees are green because they contain many green particles called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll contains not only green but also yellow particles, but these are less noticeable, which is why the leaves are green in color.
However, when daylight hours become shorter and cooler, the green chlorophyll is destroyed. This causes the previously inconspicuous yellow color of the leaf buds to become visible. This is how green leaves turn yellow. This is why ginkgo and platanus turn yellow.
Some tree leaves, such as maple and ivy, also turn red. These leaves are the same as those that turn yellow until the chlorophyll breaks down, but the difference is that after that, the sugar remaining in the leaf changes to produce the red color.
