Colours of Autumn

This morning I went on an autumn walk to make the most of the beautiful weather. The sky was blue and the temperature still warm, it still felt like summer, but walking through the woods the trees were definitely looking autumnal. All around were shades of orange and red, the floor was a carpet of colour.

Do you know why the leaves of deciduous trees change colour in autumn? It is because the chlorophyll in leaves breaks down when there is not enough light from the sun for the leaves to photosynthesise. This means that the green colours of surface leaving the reds and oranges visible. Chemical changes in the leaves can also occur which create red pigments.