A Look at The Vegetation Changes During Autumn Season

Leaves are known to change color during autumn. This is reflected in trees having yellow, red, purple and orange colored leaves. This brings curiosity among people as to when leaves in their area will change color. A number of factors are responsible for the leaves to change color. First we shall look at how this change occurs and examine why it does.

Scientifically, terms like chlorophyll and carotenoids will feature prominently in trying to explain these changes. However, this discussion will focus on basic knowledge about the beginning of the changes in this season. In any case Indians and other native dwellers have been able to master them over past generations. Let us look briefly at conditions which change every season and cause subsequent change in 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)

Advancing northwards towards Canada and other states, nights tend to become cooler while days are relatively short. In addition, there is more precipitation. As has been explained elsewhere in this article, this leads to early formation of fall colors during the season.

If you examine maps on fall foliage, you will see a pattern of changes in fall leaf between September and November. The movement is from states in the North to those in the South.

To wrap up, many underlying factors affect color intensity of fall leaf foliage and when the leaves change. By making good use of maps on fall foliage as well as keeping track of weather patterns, it is possible to forecast locations where fall foliage changes will occur every season. Each autumn season is unique and cannot be like the past or future one. This makes forecasts less accurate. However, past experience can teach us a thing or two. If your interest lies in fall foliage colors, then understanding factors that influence when leaves do change color is a good exercise.

Troy W Lilly is the author of this article on Leaves Change Color. Find more information On Fall Foliage Pictures here.

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