Searching for Color

H and I went in search of fall (autumnal) colors, finding lots of dull tan and brown, an abundance of yellows but few of the reds that make some areas so beautiful in the fall.

Brilliant fall colors are a feature of northeastern North America. Tourists come from near and far to view the colors, and those tourists are often a driving force in the economies of rural communities.

As the days grow shorter in the fall the chlorophyll in trees’ leaves begins to fade and no more is produced. Yellow and orange pigments (carotenoids) that were there all summer become visible. As the same time, sugars in the leaves form red and purple pigments (anthocyanins) that create brilliant red leaves.

To produce those sugars the trees require sunlight and carbon dioxide, but also use water. Much of the summer and early fall were exceedingly dry in our area and so many leaves were deprived of the water necessary to produce the sugars. No sugars = no red pigments = no red leaves.

And so we went in search of fall colors, especially the reds –

 

 

Unfortunately, many of those who boarded tour busses to see hillsides with brilliant fall colors may have been a bit disappointed. But if they looked a little more closely they’d have seen the colors they sought.