• Question: Why do leaves turn orange or a different colour in autumn?

    Asked by Rockstarromy to Áine, Ciarán, Eoin, Lydia, Victoria on 12 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Lydia Bach

      Lydia Bach answered on 12 Nov 2014:

      Hey!

      That’s because the chemicals in the leave change over. That has to do with the leaf degrading. It’s green in summer because of the chlorophyll it contains, which comes from little organs in the leaf cell called chloroplasts. They are really important for photosynthesis (when the plant produces sugars using sun energy). The chlorophyll degrades and other colors start to shine though like orange.

      Check out this cool guide for leaf color:

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