Storyclover
Storyclover
On a cool September afternoon, Mira knelt beneath a maple tree and turned a green leaf between her fingers. She had noticed that leaves changed color before they fell, but she did not know why.
Why Do Leaves Change Color Before They Fall?As daylight shortens, trees stop making green chlorophyll, revealing yellow and orange pigments while some leaves also produce reds.
1. On a cool September afternoon, Mira knelt beneath a maple tree and turned a green leaf between her fingers. She had noticed that leaves changed color before they fell, but she did not know why.
2. The next morning, Mira returned with her notebook. She counted green leaves, yellow leaves, and one bright orange leaf, then wrote a question at the top of the page: What is happening inside them?
3. At home, Mira searched her science book and found a useful clue. Leaves contain chlorophyll, a green chemical that captures sunlight and helps the tree make sugar from water and carbon dioxide.
4. Chlorophyll works best when there is plenty of sunlight. All summer, the tree keeps making it, and the green color covers up other pigments that are quietly present in the leaf.
5. Then autumn tilted the year toward winter. Each day brought a little less daylight, and the tree began preparing for colder weeks when making and transporting food would cost more than it could spare.
6. As daylight shortened, the tree stopped making new chlorophyll and began taking useful materials back from its leaves. Without so much green, the yellow and orange pigments that had been there all along became visible.
7. Some leaves make another group of pigments in autumn: reds and purples called anthocyanins. Their exact purpose can vary, but they may help protect the leaf while the tree gathers back its supplies.
8. Mira compared the three leaves in her hands. Green meant chlorophyll was still plentiful; yellow and orange had been revealed; red had been produced as the season changed.
9. Mira tucked the leaves into her notebook, not as souvenirs of a tree dying, but as evidence of a tree changing its plan. The colors appeared while the tree saved what it could.
10. Now Mira knew the answer. As daylight shortens, trees stop making green chlorophyll, revealing yellow and orange pigments while some leaves also produce reds. Then the leaves let go, and the tree waits for spring.
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