Fall — A Rainbow of Colors!

Fall is one of the most beautiful times for trees! The green leaves start changing into amazing colors — red, orange, yellow, gold, and even purple. But why does this happen?

Remember chlorophyll, the green stuff in leaves that catches sunlight? As the days get shorter and cooler in fall, the tree stops sending water and nutrients to its leaves. The chlorophyll breaks down and the green color fades away.

Here is the amazing secret: the yellow and orange colors were actually hiding in the leaves ALL ALONG! They were just covered up by all that green chlorophyll. When the green fades, the hidden yellows and oranges finally get to shine through.

Red and purple colors are a little different — the tree actually makes these new colors in the fall! Some sugars trapped in the leaves create bright red and purple pigments.

**Wow Factor:** The yellow color in leaves was there in summer too — you just could not see it because there was so much green chlorophyll covering it up!