Fall continues in Eberwhite Woods - Leaves and Mushrooms Oh My!
Why Do Leaves Change Color? Almost every parent, grandparent, and teacher has been asked "Why do leaves change color?" Kids are naturally curious about this phenomenon they can witness themselves - a great time to take a walk in EWW with your child and have a conversation about pigments, changing leaf colors, and work on your tree ID. Here is a fantastic article from ( http://eekwi.org/veg/trees/treestruecolor.htm) that summarizes "Why do leaves change color?" nicely. Where do leaf colors come from? Leaf color comes from pigments . Pigments are natural substances produced by leaf cells. The three pigments that color leaves are: chlorophyll (green) carotenoid (yellow, orange, and brown) anthocyanin (red) Chlorophyll is the most important of the three. Without the chlorophyll in leaves, trees wouldn't be able to use sunlight to produce food. Carotenoids create bright yellows and oranges in familiar fruits and vegetables...