Hey there! Have you noticed any changes outside where you live? In many places, the days are getting shorter, the weather is cooler, and the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors. This means we’re entering one of the most colorful times of the year—autumn!
During autumn, many trees with leaves (not the ones with needles like pine trees) start to show off beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. But have you ever wondered why this happens?
To understand, let’s look at a green leaf. Leaves are green because they contain a special chemical called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is bright green and has an important job: it captures sunlight and helps the tree make food in the form of sugars. This process is how trees get their energy!
Besides chlorophyll, leaves also have other colorful chemicals called pigments. These pigments can be red, yellow, orange, and even purple. If you’ve eaten carrots, cabbage, or cherries, you’ve seen and tasted these pigments!
During spring and summer, there’s so much chlorophyll in the leaves that its green color hides the other pigments. But as summer turns into fall and the days get shorter, the tree makes less chlorophyll. This means the green color fades, and we start to see the reds, yellows, and oranges that were there all along!
Once the leaves change color, they don’t stay on the trees for long. Without chlorophyll, the leaves can’t make energy, so they don’t have a job to do. As winter approaches, the tree saves the energy the leaves made and lets the leaves fall to the ground.
The tree uses this stored energy to survive through the winter. When spring arrives, the tree grows new leaves to capture sunlight, and the cycle begins again.
So, when you see yellow, orange, and red leaves around you, remember that these colors were always there—autumn is just their time to shine! What’s your favorite colored leaf? If you find a particularly pretty one, ask an adult to help you take a picture and share it with others. Enjoy the beauty of autumn while it lasts!
Thanks for learning with us! See you next time on SciShow Kids.
Leaf Color Hunt: Go outside with a grown-up and collect different colored leaves you find on the ground. Try to find as many colors as you can: red, orange, yellow, and even brown. Once you have your collection, sort them by color and see which color you found the most. Discuss with your grown-up why you think some colors were easier to find than others.
Leaf Art Project: Use the leaves you collected to create a piece of art. Arrange them on a piece of paper to make a picture or pattern. You can glue them down or just arrange them temporarily. Think about how the different colors look together and what kind of picture you can make. Share your artwork with your family and talk about the different colors you used.
Question Time: Ask yourself and discuss with a friend or family member: Why do you think trees let their leaves fall in autumn instead of keeping them all year round? How do you think the tree feels when it loses its leaves? Imagine you are a tree—what would you do to prepare for winter?
