Why leaves change color

Hey, Have you guys ever wondered how leaves change colors?  Well they don't really change, they have this thing called chlorophyll that makes them look green.

Leaves need a lot of sunlight to do photosynthesis and that's how they make chlorophyll.  It normally happens in the Spring and Summertime.  In those seasons, the sun normally stays up for 15 hours a day.

When fall comes, the sun is only up for 11 hours a day and the leaves don't have enough sun light to make chlorophyll. Since they can't appear green, they change colors.

Cartonoids are the chemicals that are in leaves when they turn orange or yellow.  Anthocyanins are in leaves when they turn red or purple.  The last chemical is called Tanins.  They make leaves look brown or black.

Now we're at the end of the leaf life cycle when it's winter and all of the leaves die because they have only have 9 hours of sunlight. That's not enough sunlight for the trees to do photosynthesis, which is how they make their food.

 

That's the leaf lifecycle...Bye.