60 Amazing Fall Foliage Photos – Know Why Leaves Change Color?



Seasons & Holidays

60 Amazing Fall Foliage Photos – Know Why Leaves Change Color?

Fall is a beautiful time of year when the leaves on the trees change from their usual green to shades of yellow, red, orange and brown.  What causes this and how do trees survive without leaves?

  • Fall colors, and their duration, depend on factors such as temperature, water supply, and light.

fall-red-leaf

 

  • Leaves change colors because the veins that carry liquids throughout the leaf close off slowly as cork cells form at the base of every leaf.  When this happens, there are fewer minerals and less water in the leaves. The chlorophyll ,which give leaves their green color, decreases.

fall-orange-red-leaf

 

  • If it is rainy or overcast in the fall, colors will become more intense.

waterfall-fall-leaves

 

  •  Low temperatures–which are still not at freezing temperature–will often cause maple leaves to have a bright red fall color.

red-leaf-on-tree-limb

 

  • Unlike most trees, conifers–which include pines, firs and many more–are evergreen.  This means they do not change color or drop their leaves.  Individual leaves can stay on a conifer for two to four or even more years.

red-green-leaves-water-drops

 

  •  In the areas where winters are not very harsh, there are species of broad leaf trees which will not change color or drop their leaves.

leaves on bridge

 

  • Chlorophyll gives plants their green color while the yellows are created by xanthophyll. Oranges are created by carotenoids. And the anthocyanin in leaves add the color red to plants, but not all trees can produce it.

colorful leaves under water

 

  • When autumn colors occur, leaves do not actually lose their natural color. They return to their normal colors because chlorophyll is produced in the summer, which changes the leaves into the green color they normally are.

ball against brick wall red fall leaves

 

  • When the leaves reach their complete brown color, they are dead because they are no longer receiving nutrients and minerals from the tree. The tree needs to save these nutrients for the winter and following spring.

brown green leaves on wet street

 

  • Trees like Maples, with many sugars inside them, often have exotic reds and purples because of the sugar trapped in the leaves.

colorful fall road

 

More Great Photos of Fall Foliage Below – Enjoy!

colorful fall street - streetcar

colorful fall forest

dog swimming fall colors

 

colorful fall lake

duck on lake in fall

 

small orange leaves

red leaves lane

colorful fall road

tennis shoes fall leaves

orange leaf close up

red fall leaves lane

yellow leaves dc street

leaves floating on water

waterfall in fall

bike fall leavesyellow leaves on green bench

fall scene japan snowbrown leaf on red car

red leaves and park bench

yellow and read leaf

colorful fall road

grapes fall leaves

decaying old car in fall forest

yellow leaves with water drops

pink purple leaves

fall leaves with girl and pumpkin

bird eating in tree with yellow leaves

water drops on red leaves

driving in the fall colors

red leaves

fall scene - barn

orange leaf on car hood

moped by stone wall red leaves

yellow red green leaves

fall-scene-lake-house

purple leaf

yellow leaves

fall walkway

orange leaves

fall leaves on walkway

yellow leaf water drop

red-leaf-in-hand

house-on-water-in-autumn

insect on leaf

fall-scenery-snowy-mountains

colorful fall-leaf-tree-bark

yellow leaf veins close up

fall scene barn

leaf imprint on yellow road line

Image Credits: i love october, phil roeder, seyyed_mostafa_zamani, Ian Sane, Dennis Jarvis, Karen Roe, Kasia, Peggy2012Creativelenz, James Evans, Kate mere-and-Sinha, paul bica, Ian Sane, paul bica, Janos-Csongor Kerekes, Lida, Paul Stein, ajari, Ian Sane, Rachel Kramer, Hannes Ambrosch, Scott Robinson, joiseyshowaa, Vladimer Shioshvili, mrhayata, Fabrizio Sciami, Marc Lagneau, Hideyuki KAMON, Don O'Brien, Ian Sane, LadyDragonflyCC, Nicholas A Toneli, Marianne Perdomo, Nicholas A. Tonelli, D. Sharon Pruitt, Evil Erin, diffuse, utpal, Eliot Gilifix, geraldbrazell, messycupcakes, Bert Kaufmann, Dawn Huczek, Ian Muttoo, Les Haines, Alex Critch, Luz Adriana Villa, martinak15, finchlake2000, Umberto Salvagnin, mellowrapp, LadyDragonflyCC, Emmanuel Huy-brechts, New Brunswick Tourism, Tim Samoff

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