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Back to Leaf Watch 2009

WHY LEAVES CHANGE COLORS

 spacer Every autumn we revel in the beauty of the fall colors. The mixture of red, purple, orange and yellow is the result of chemical processes that take place in the tree as the seasons change from summer to winter.

During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the foods necessary for the tree's growth are manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. This extraordinary chemical absorbs from sunlight the energy that is used in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch.

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COLORATION OF GEORGIA TREES
                
    YELLOW
~ White Ash
~ Black Cherry
~ Buckeye
~ Umbrella Magnolia
~ Sweet Birch
~ Yellow Poplar
~ Black Locust		    

RED
~ Black Gum
~ Scarlet Oak
~ White Oak
~ Persimmon
~ Red Maple
 

 

YELLOW-GOLD
~ White Basswood
~ Hickories
~ American Beech
~ Black Walnut		    


RED-ORANGE
~ Sassafras

RED-PURPLE
~ Sweet Gum
~ Scarlet Oak
~ Sumac
    BRONZE
~ Chestnut Oak
~ American Elm
~ Black Oak		    

RED-BROWN
~ Southern Red Oak


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