Well, Fall is upon us! Which means pumpkin flavored everything, cooler air and colder weather, football, the leaves are changing, and everything is becoming a bit more cuddly! I am a huge fan of Fall; I love to see the leaves change colors and fall to the ground. Who doesn’t love playing in a big pile of the leaves once they’ve fallen and making all sorts of arts and crafts with them! Have you ever wondered just what the actual reason for the leaves to change colors in the Fall?
A lot of children think that the leaves just simply change because they are supposed to. It’s Fall and winter is coming and there aren’t green leaves in the winter time, so naturally they would just change and then fall! Another common misconception is that the tree is old and dying and that is why it is losing its color and the leaves are falling off! Let’s look at the real reason that leaves change color in the Fall and then I will share some great crafts that you can make with leaves this Fall!
- There is less Sunlight: Sunlight is required for plants to perform the process of photosynthesis. Sunlight is a big factor in the process of photosynthesis. So naturally, there is less sunlight in the Fall and Winter seasons, causing the plants to not be able to complete the process of photosynthesis and the plants lose their color.
- The Leaves stop making Chlorophyll: Chlorophyll is the reason that leaves are green, this is what gives them their green color and it is created during the process of photosynthesis. So, if the plants are unable to photosynthesize, then chlorophyll cannot be created and cannot provide the leaves with that bright green color we are used to seeing in the Spring and Summer.
- The Weather Gets Colder: Once again coming back to photosynthesis, another huge factor that is required during the process of photosynthesis is water. When the weather gets colder, the air and the Earth in general gets drier. When this occurs, there just isn’t enough water in the air to create the process of photosynthesis.
- The Chlorophyll fades, causing the true color of the leaves to show: Throughout the warmer months of the year when plants are able to perform the process of photosynthesis, they store the food and color they create. This way when it gets colder and darker outside and they aren’t able to perform photosynthesis, these plants can live off of the food they have stored. However, the chlorophyll (which makes the leaves green) begins to fade. A lot of the time leaves naturally have a yellow, red, or brown color to them but it is usually covered up by the chlorophyll so it appears green. As the chlorophyll fades, the true color of the leaves begins to show.
Well, there we go! If you were unsure about why exactly the leaves change come Fall time, now you know just a bit more and you can understand the process of why it happens! I know that when I learned about this, everything made a bit more sense to me and I was really able to understand the whole process better!
Check out these great crafts, experiments activities and more!
- Science Experiment: Why Do Leaves Change Color?
- Polka Dot Trees Leaf Experiment
- Why Do leaves Change Color? Pre-K Questions Answered with Simple Science Experiments
- Why do leaves change color? An Elementary Science Experiment
- 15 Fabulous Fall Leaf Crafts for Kids
- Leaf Wreath – Fall Crafts for Kids
- Fall Leaf Hunt Activity
- How Do Leaves Breathe? A Simple Science Experiment for Kids
- Easy Fall Leaf Science Experiment: Exploring Colors and Chlorophyll with Kids
- DIY Painted Nature Leaf Mobile
- How to Preserve Leaves: Fun Fall Craft for Kids
- Leaf Painted Rocks
Girls PG in Noida says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing information, please keep sharing…