Why Do Leaves Change Color?
The secret of fall leaves
Duration: 1:50
In the fall, leaves turn red, orange, and yellow. Why? Join our little explorer on a walk in the forest and discover the secret hidden inside every leaf!
In short
A leaf is like a tiny kitchen: it uses sunlight, air, and water to make food for the tree. To do this, it uses a green helper called chlorophyll, which makes leaves green. Leaves also have yellow and orange colors hiding inside them, but all summer long the green covers them up. In the fall, the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, and the tree gets ready to rest for the winter, so it stops making chlorophyll. Little by little the green fades away and the yellow and orange colors appear, and some trees, like maples, even make new red colors. Then the leaves let go and fall to the ground, and in spring new green leaves grow again. Pine trees keep their green needles all winter long.
What you will learn
- Why leaves turn red, orange, and yellow in the fall
- How a leaf works like a tiny kitchen, with sunlight, air, and water
- What chlorophyll is: the green helper that makes leaves green
- The yellow and orange colors hiding inside every leaf
- How maple trees make brand new red colors
- Why trees rest in winter, and why pine trees stay green
Let's talk about it
Questions to ask after watching, at home or in class. Tap a question to see a short answer.
Why are leaves green in summer?
Because of chlorophyll, the green helper the leaf uses to make food from sunlight, air, and water.
Where do the yellow and orange colors come from?
They were hiding inside the leaf all summer. In the fall, the green fades away and they appear.
Is a tree with no leaves in winter sick?
No, it is just resting for the winter. New green leaves will grow in spring.
