Autumn: the Season of Color

With every advent of the season of autumn, leaves are expected to change color. The trees are resplendent in yellow; red, purple and orange. As a result, many appear to be wondering as to when leaves will change color in their region. A number of circumstances are responsible for this. To further understand when leaves will change color, we must first learn why, when and how the change occurs.

Chlorophyll and carotenoids along with other factors are involved. Away from science, we may be able to simply understand how the start of the season brings about change. Natives of these lands and Indians too have done so for years on end. Our study will take us through a few aspects whose change during this season result in changes in the leaves.

Water and Moisture

Too little moisture can cause the trees to display fall colors later in the season, and then lose their leaves early due to the drought conditions. This generally produces a brownish or yellowing effect of the leaves, without a bright colorful display.

Alternatively, too much water is associated with many cloudy overcast days. A lot of moisture can cause fungus to grow in damp cool conditions, bringing the onset of disease throughout the leaves prior to the onset of winter. This type of extreme climate can make the leaves change color a bit earlier, but the colors will not be as vibrant as in optimal conditions.

The ideal moisture conditions for brilliant fall foliage will include ample rain fall with adequate and average dry periods between the rainfall. Depending upon your location, moisture can vary from year to year, and extreme weather patterns can expedite or prolong leaf color changes.

Sun Light

One factor that is fairly consistent from year to year are the hours when the sun rises, and when the sun sets. Each year we spring forward and fall back changing our clocks accordingly ever since Benjamin Franklin suggested daylight savings time.

The change of the lighting schedule triggers the trees and leaves to prepare for winter by not producing a chemical that produces the green leaf color. The absence of this chemical (which typically makes leaves green) is why the leaves change to their fall colors. The earlier in the season when the days begin to get shorter, and the nights begin to be longer, you will see the leaves change earlier.

The absence of bright warm sunlight on fall days can make the leaves change earlier, but they will also not display as vibrant colors. Sunlight plays an important factor in the brilliance of the fall leaf color, so it is vital for the sun to shine nice and bright in between average rain falls, in order to display vibrant fall foliage.

Temperature

Cool crisp nights without frost and freezing will help the leaves to show their best colors. However, if the temperature is too cold (freezing or below) throughout the weeks of early fall the leaves may change earlier, and will also fall from the trees earlier.

Latitude (Location)

In Canada and other northern states, nights become cooler while days end early. That is, shorter hours of daylight are experienced. At the same time, there is heavier rainfall. From what has been discussed earlier in the article, you notice that these conditions lead to an early formation of fall colors during the season.

Maps drawn on fall foliage show that fall leaf will change color as one progresses from northern regions towards the south.

To wind up the discussion, a number of aspects do influence color intensity of the leaf vegetation. These dictate when leaves will begin to change. By using the maps on fall foliage and carefully tracking weather patterns, you can predict fall foliage areas every year. You may even tell where it will start and when. However, since every autumn comes differently, such a prediction method may not generate accurate results. All the same, past experience can help a lot. If fall foliage colors interests you, the efforts made to know the influencing factors for leaves to change color may be rewarding.