Summer officially ends this Wednesday at 11:09 PM and autumn begins. With the season change comes the changing of the leaves. We don't see leaves change colors here in North Florida because of the amount of sunlight and its intensity throughout the year.
The peak times of leaves changing colors has already started across northern parts of the U.S. Places in the Southeast usually don't peak until late October through November.
How do colors change? As summer ends, the green pigments in leaves deteriorate, giving other colors a chance to shine. Carotenoids, the pigment that makes carrots orange and leaves yellow, are exposed as the green fades. Reds and purples come from anthocyanins, a pigment that is formed when sugars in leaves break down in bright autumn sunlight.
The peak times of leaves changing colors has already started across northern parts of the U.S. Places in the Southeast usually don't peak until late October through November.
How do colors change? As summer ends, the green pigments in leaves deteriorate, giving other colors a chance to shine. Carotenoids, the pigment that makes carrots orange and leaves yellow, are exposed as the green fades. Reds and purples come from anthocyanins, a pigment that is formed when sugars in leaves break down in bright autumn sunlight.
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