opened questions based on leaves
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Answer:
Why do leaves fall?
The reason leaves fall off in the autumn is due to the water they contain. Leaves hold a lot of water in them, and when winter comes around, the leaves will freeze. This could harm the internal part of the tree. So, when fall comes each year, the trees develop a type of seal or barrier between the branch of the tree and the stem of the leaf. That way when the leaves fall from the tree, the tree’s branches will be protected from the cold.
What causes leaves to change color?
There are different chemicals in leaves that make them turn different colors. Different trees produce different color leaves. Leaves contain chemicals, but not all leaves have the same kind. However, all leaves do have chlorophyll. This chemical gives them their green color. Some leaves contain anthocyanins. These chemicals gets caught in the leaf when the chlorophyll is gone. Anthocyanins cause leaves to turn red and purple. There is also carotenoids. These chemicals when left in the leaf causes the leaves to turn yellow, orange and brown.
What are leaves good for?
Leaves are great for many things. They provide shade when the days get hot. They create protection for creatures that reside in the tree’s branches. They turn sunlight into starches and sugars, which is food for the tree. This process is called photosynthesis. When the leaves fall off, they create a layer on the ground that helps the ground absorb moisture, and when they start to decompose, they release nutrients into the soil that are used by other plants to grow.
More facts about leaves:
Leaves require sunlight, water, chlorophyll and carbon dioxide to make food for themselves.
As winter approaches, leaves make a coating for themselves which blocks their water source; in the absence of water, the leaves no longer produce chlorophyll (chlorophyll is what makes leaves green).
When the leaves turn colors in the fall, they actually are returning to their normal colors. During the summer months, the chlorophyll present in the leaves causes the leaves to turn green, blocking the leaves’ actual colors.
Red and purple leaves are actually caused by the presence of sugars from sap that are trapped inside of the leaves.
Oak leaves turn red, brown or russet; hickories turn golden bronze; poplars turn golden yellow; dogwoods turn a purplish red; beeches turn a light yellow/tan; birches turn bright yellow; sugar maples turn orange-red; black maples turn a glowing yellow and red maples turn scarlet.
Autumn leaves in Europe tend to be mostly yellow, but the U.S. and East Asia seem to favor red leaves.