Tree leaves in summer and autumn

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

No matter how good the summer is, but the time comes when the greenery surrounding us becomes crimson, and nature slowly, beautifully and majestically prepares for winter rest. From early spring until now, we have been observing how mainly green leaves of trees appear and form from the buds, which in each period of their development have a slightly different shade.

What is the reason for this difference in tones, and where does the green color go in the autumn?

In the summer, trees grow, increase their root system, expand their crown. New branches appear on them, and in order for them to have enough vitality, leaves appear on them - powerful optical installations or even factories that are aimed at receiving and storing, and then transferring light energy to the whole plant. The leaves of trees have many other important functions, one of them is respiration, and the other is nutrition.

As a result of the combination of these functions, continuous biochemical processes take place here, an accumulator of sunlight acts - chlorophyll, a collector of hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and a producer of free oxygen -xanthophyll, a lot of carotene is formed - a vitamin that has an orange tint, and a lot of different vitamins, including very red anthocyanins. It is the presence of such a rich composition, which, in fact, is a natural pharmacy, is valued by traditional healers who use tree leaves to treat diseases in people.

However, chlorophyll prevails in early summer, it is so abundant that the presence of other coloring elements is almost invisible to the naked eye. The word "almost" means that each of us sees that a different leaf of a tree has different shades. Hue is the visible part of the spectrum formed by other elements that change the emerald color inherent in pure chlorophyll to that inherent in the plant species.

Young greens contain less tannins and other coloring vitamins, so they are more delicate and bright. Over time, many substances are produced and accumulated in the leaflet, including metals and trace elements. It is they who change the shade, making the greens more complete, saturated and with specific distinctive features inherent in this species.

Toward autumn, the sun begins to reduce its activity. It sends less and less energy to the earth every day. Naturally, for its reception and processing, tree leaves no longer need such an excess amount of chlorophyll, so its content begins to decrease, and the production of other vitamins and microelements that nourish the plant continues. Therefore, the appearance of the firstyellowish, reddish harbingers of autumn does not yet mean the death of foliage, but only serves as a transition to a new functional state.

In the last warm days of the year, very bright and incredibly beautiful leaves of trees adorn all nature, the photo well displays its majestic crimson, indicating preparation for a long winter rest. Any state of the surrounding plant world is favorable for a person. We tend to love and enjoy all manifestations of his beauty.