Science · The Earth and the Universe

Why do leaves change color?

Autumn leaves are not putting on makeup. They are taking off the green.

Autumn & pigments3 min read5 partsQuiz of 8 questions
Read in the app Available in 30 languages
Quintin Soloviev · Autumn foliage in Prince Edward Island · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Part 1 of 5 · freeIntroduction

Every autumn, forests turn from green to gold, copper, and purple. This is not a matter of taste. It is a strategy: the tree takes back what it can before dropping its leaves for winter.

The warm colors do not appear out of nowhere. Often they were already there, hidden under the green. To understand autumn is to understand a huge biochemical cleanup.

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  1. 2The green that hides everything
  2. 3The real trigger: nights that grow longer
  3. 4Where the bright reds come from
  4. 5Why some autumns blaze brighter
Open-book quiz8 questions whose answers are in the text.
Glossary9 terms explained in a tap.
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