The Colour Secret of Autumn Leaves

A warm sunbeam fell through the leafy top of a large tree. Yellow, orange and red leaves suddenly glowed among the green ones. Puschel picked up a yellow leaf from the moss and turned it over in amazement.

Puschel“Everything was green here yesterday. Did someone paint the tree overnight?”

Flauschi held a green leaf and a red one in her paws. Puschel examined the yellow leaf with the green explorer’s magnifying glass. He found no brush marks and not a single spot of paint.

Flauschi“The tree needs no forest painter. Its leaves contain several coloured pigments. In summer, we mainly see the strong green one.”

Flauschi explained that the green colouring is called chlorophyll. It helps the leaf use sunlight. The plant also takes in water and an invisible part of the air called carbon dioxide. It is a gas, like air. It uses these to make sugar to help it grow. This is called photosynthesis. In autumn the days grow shorter, and the tree prepares for winter.

Puschel“So the tree is tidying away its summer green?”

That was exactly how Puschel imagined it: the tree moved useful building blocks from the leaves back into its twigs and trunk. As the green chlorophyll gradually broke down, yellow and orange pigments that had been hidden by it could shine through.

Flauschi“Some trees also make red pigments in autumn. That is why not every tree wears the same colours.”

Puschel looked up at the crown. It no longer resembled a painted roof. It looked like a colour cupboard that autumn was slowly opening. He carefully returned the leaf to the moss.

Puschel“No secret forest painter—yellow and orange were already there, and some leaves make new red pigments too. That is even better!”