Autumn Leaves

[angie26]

I don't know if this should be in the animals & nature section, but what causes leaves to turn red in the autumn?

[Chessman]

You'll probably get someone on who can explain a bit better, but basically, the trees are conserving energy for the following season, and are shedding them, what you are seeing, which to our eyes is a magnificent sight, is actually the leaves dying, and thats just part of the process,

[shaneystar]

The colour changes result from the decomposition of chlorophyll, the substance which usually makes leaves look green.

Tells you all about it here.

http://www.rfs.org.uk/woodshed.asp?woodshedDetails=40

[pritchard69]

Futher to the info given in the web link above, the effect of sugar collection in the leaves is increased with differences in temperature between day and night. ie. warm days followed by cold nights will cause more vibrant colour changes. That's why New England has a more impressive autumn than Ye Olde England: the higher range of temperatures causes sugars in the leaves to crystallize faster.