Q & A

How can leaves change their color?
Trees are ever-green in summer, but when autumn arrives there are many colors of leaves! The green color in leaves is because of chlorophyll present in it. Other colors are also mixed but we can’t see them. The pigment xanthopyll makes yellow color, carotene orange and antocyanin of a brilliant red color. In the summer we see green leave but gradually weather turns colder and colder the food that has been stored away in the leaf by the trees begins to flow out to the branches and trunks. So no more food will be produced and the chlorophyll food factory will disintegrates. The chlorophyll disappears and other pigments become visible and stay on the leaves. In summer, the chlorophyll reappears. This cycle goes on throughout the years.