Why Do Leaves Change Color?

Words to Know

Chlorophyll

The green stuff in leaves that catches sunlight to make food

Chlorophyll makes summer leaves look green!

Carotenoid

The stuff that makes yellow and orange — it's in leaves ALL year!

Carotenoids are the same stuff that makes carrots orange!

Anthocyanin

A NEW red color some leaves make in fall — like sunblock for the leaf

Anthocyanin makes maple leaves turn bright red!

Pigment

A natural color inside a living thing

Chlorophyll is a green pigment!

Photosynthesis

How plants use sunlight to make their own food

Photosynthesis is how a plant makes lunch!

Abscission

When a tree lets go of its leaves for winter

Abscission is why leaves fall in autumn!

Check What You Learned

Fun Facts

• Chlorophyll is the green pigment in leaves that captures sunlight for photosynthesis

  Source: Nature Education, "Photosynthesis"

• Chlorophyll masks other pigments present in the leaf throughout the growing season

  Source: USDA Forest Service, "Why Leaves Change Color"

• Carotenoids produce yellow and orange colors; they are present in the leaf all year but hidden by chlorophyll

  Source: USDA Forest Service

• Carotenoids are the same pigments that give carrots their orange color

  Source: National Institutes of Health, "Carotenoids"

• Anthocyanins produce red and purple colors; they are newly synthesized in fall, not present all year

  Source: USDA Forest Service

• Anthocyanins act as a "sunscreen," protecting leaves from light damage as nutrients are reabsorbed

  Source: Hoch, G.C., et al., 2003, "Resorption Protection"