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Autumn Leaves and Fall Colors: Facts and a Poem

The Death of Leaves
Many people find late autumn a depressing time of year, unlike the start of the fall season. The early autumn burst of color is glorious as leaves change from green to vivid yellow, orange, purple, red, and russet, and—best of all, I think—a mixture of different colors in the same leaf. The ripened fruit is celebrated in harvest festivals and there are still occasional days that are warm enough to remind us of summer.
As autumn progresses into winter, though, it may seem as though death has the upper hand. Leaves are shed and begin to decay, many plants die, and dried, shriveled, and inedible fruits hang on bare branches. Most animals disappear and bird song is silenced. A cold dampness fills the air and soaks the ground. The days are short and color seems to have been drained from the landscape.
Despite the lack of color and activity, I don't find late autumn depressing. Most plants are dormant, not dead, and I know that they will produce new leaves in the spring. The bare trees have a beauty of their own and evergreen plants still maintain their color. The bright red holly berries are a special treat in late autumn, winter, and early spring. New catkins emerge before the year is even over. Even when death has occurred, the nutrients in the decaying bodies will be recycled and will enable new plants to grow. The soil is rich with potential.
Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?
Fall is a time of rest and potential. The annual plants that have died have left their seeds behind to start new lives. Flowers will reappear in the spring and summer and fresh fruits will form. Animals will return—and in my area some never leave—and birds will sing again. The cycle of life will continue.

Green Leaves and Chlorophyll
There are three categories of pigments in leaves—chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanins. The relative amounts of these pigments vary throughout the year and determine the color of a leaf.
Leaves appear green in the spring and summer because they contain a green pigment called chlorophyll. Pigments of other colors are present too, but they are usually masked by the chlorophyll. There are two main types of chlorophyll in a leaf— chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. These absorb light of different wavelengths, or colors.
Chlorophyll plays a vital role in the life of a plant. It absorbs light energy, which the plant uses in photosynthesis. During this process carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil react to produce a sugar and oxygen. The sugar is the plant's food. In the fall, chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the pigments that give leaves their traditional and often very beautiful autumn colors.

Yellow and orange carotenoids and red anthocyanins produce the beautiful colors of leaves in autumn. The pigments also give color to many fruits and vegetables and have health benefits for humans. Carrots, oranges, and mangoes contain carotenoids, for example. Red cabbages and blueberries contain anthocyanins.

Fall Colors and Their Causes
The yellow and orange carotenoids in fall leaves were present during the summer but were hidden by the chlorophyll. The carotenoids helped photosynthesis by absorbing specific wavelengths of light and passing the energy to chlorophyll. The red anthocyanins were made in the late summer and early fall, however. The color of anthocyanins depends on the pH of the environment, so they sometimes look purple instead of red. There are several theories that attempt to explain why anthocyanins need to be produced in leaves that will soon die, but at the moment there isn't a definite answer to the puzzle.
For a few wonderful weeks the beautiful fall colors of leaves are visible. Eventually the leaves are shed and the plant uses stored food to stay alive. In the spring the amount and intensity of light increases, chemical reactions in the plant increase in number, and new leaves develop, allowing more food to be made.
Red cabbage juice is used in school science experiments because its color indicates whether a substance is an acid or a base. Its anthocyanin molecules are red in an acid and blue or green in a base.

What Is Consciousness?
The poem below describes a tree losing its leaves in late fall. In the poem I imagine that plants and the elements of nature have consciousness, an idea that has supporters, although not amongst most scientists.
Consciousness is a mysterious phenomenon that is still not understood. In general (although there are exceptions), scientists believe that consciousness is created by processes occurring in the brain. Once the brain ceases to function at death, the person's consciousness no longer exists.
Some people have different ideas, however. One theory is that everything has consciousness—even the cells that make up the bodies of living things and the atoms that make up matter. Another is that there is one universal consciousness and that our brain accesses this consciousness during our lives. We may influence it just as it influences us. According to this view, consciousness is still present after our bodies die.
The Four Seasons is a popular set of four violin concerti written by Anton Vivaldi around 1721. Each concerto represents a different season. "Autumn" celebrates fall scenes and activities. The video below was recorded in the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Vivaldi's "Autumn" From The Four Seasons
Reflecting on the Loss of Leaves
The cold wind plays around the tree,
bound by ancient duty and desire,
and secret knowledge of the Earth,
her powers and her needs.
The golden canopy responds
with joy and thrilling sympathy,
and branches sway in partnership while
leaves vibrate excitedly.
The strengthened wind works in delight
and leaves shake wildly in return,
yearning to cooperate, and
sensing wonderment nearby.
At last the bonds begin to break
and leaves detach triumphantly,
then frolic in the boisterous wind
to celebrate their victory.
The leaves fall far away, in grace,
and join the carpet on the ground
where understanding slowly dawns
as decay produces clarity.
Freedom from control reveals
a world much wider than before,
awareness stretched a billion fold,
discovering all that is.
Then slowly memories fade away
while insight clouds and shrinks,
atoms pulled to recombine
as nature builds again.
So now the cycle starts anew,
formation and decay,
forgetting then remembering
until the end of time.
© 2011 Linda Crampton
Comments
great hub. I loved your videos. I don't yet know how to upload a video. Great information. I loved your poetry.
I absolutely love this poem. :) And everything you wrote about autumn. It has always been by favorite time of the year and I have never found fall or winter depressing. To me they are time of waiting, resting, gaining strength, preparing for renewal....
Besides which autumn is flat out gorgeous and the winds are so bracing and energizing. Lovely poem, great Hub. SHARING
A simply beautiful poem, alicia! I love autumn with the changing colors of the leaves. As the leaves, later fall to the ground...I talk to them as I walk by and congratulate them for the nice job they have done all summer providing shade and refuge on hot days. I also tell the falling leaves how lovely their colors are. Crazy? No. I just love all of nature. Thank you so much for sharing your great talent! Voted up.
vocalcoach~
Thanks for this lovely poem Alicia! I also like the autumn because I like the silence and the changes in nature that you describe so beautifully. It is a season when we get time to think about things while nature are transforming once again. This poem is a fantastic tribute to autumn and the cycle of all living. Amazing job, voted up and beautiful
Tina
Its a beautiful poem Alicia. I like the light and the colours of Autumn, and although I love the sun, I'm not sure whether I would really be happy living in a place where the trees never shed their leaves or the days never lengthened or shortened. I think that it gives you a knowing about life cycles and the rhythms of nature
This is a beautiful poem. I still do not like late Autumn though. My biggest problem with it is that I do not like the cold.
What wonderful Autumn thoughts Alicia, I love this time of year, being in California I think we miss out on many of the seasonal changes and cycles! Lovely poem! Up and beautiful!
Freedom from control reveals
A world much wider than before.
Dear Alicia,
I appreciate this season and the depth of your reflections in this thought provoking work.
Amazing job-- Voted UP & AB, mar.
I felt I was there with you.
An amazing hub and a vote up is a must.
Tank you so much for sharing Alicia.
Take care and I wish you a wonderful weekend.
Eddy.
I love Autumn too, its great to live in a climate where we are witness to the changing of the seasons and the renew of spring every year. Great hub and poem, voted up!
Hi, Alicia, I am one of those people that do believe atoms have a 'conciousness' if you like, I love quantum physics and have a great interest in the old 'look at the atom and it does one thing, turn away and it does another' experiment, so yes I believe trees and plants do have some sort of 'memory' or 'thought' pattern, and I loved your poem, I also wrote a similar poem about a tree that was falling down and felt sad! great stuff, cheers nell
I loved that...forgetting then remembering...death and rebirth...the cycle goes on...
There is beauty in all stages of nature and your poem elicits that. Voted up and beautiful.
"The leaves fall far away, in grace ..." Beautiful. You have conjured up a vision of late fall and early winter that is lovely, Alicia. Thank you for this treat.
Lovely. Voted up and beautiful!
Wonderful poems. Vote up and awesome.
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