Why Do Leaves Change Color?

Leaves are nature’s food factories. Plants take water from the ground through their roots. They take carbon dioxide and use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into glucose. Plants use glucose as food. Process known as photosynthesis.

Chlorophyll Chemical that helps photosynthesis happen. Gives plants their green color.

What Happens in Winter? Days get shorter. Not enough light for photosynthesis. Trees rest and live off the food they stored. As the food factories shut down, the chlorophyll disappears from the leaves. As the green fades away, we see yellow and orange. Bright reds and purples is from glucose trapped in leaves after photosynthesis stops. The brown is made by wastes left in the leaves.

Photosynthesis Equation CO 2 + H Light Energy CH O 2

Fun Fact What do autumn leaves and ripening bananas have in common? The green color in unripe bananas comes from chlorophyll, the same pigment that gives green leaves their color. As bananas ripen, the chlorophyll breaks down and disappears, revealing the yellow color which has been there all along.