Leaves will soon be turning beautiful autumnal hues, but did you know that those oranges, yellows and reds are actually always there? They’re just masked by chlorophyll, the green pigment that’s needed for photosynthesis.
As we go from summer into autumn the sunlight decreases and temperatures begin to cool, this slowly causes the production of chlorophyll to stop. The lack of chlorophyll allows other pigments like carotenoids (yellows and oranges) and anthocyanins (reds and purples) to be revealed 🍁
📸 alphazeta, Flickr.
