That Beautiful Fall Foliage!
Chlorophyll is Green, right? 3rd grade taught most of us about the green color of leaves being the Chlorophyll (if you didn’t know, well…there it is!). Chlorophyll captures solar rays and uses that energy to manufacture its very own food: simple sugars produced from water and carbon dioxide….how cool is that?! While there is ample sunlight, chlorophyll continues to be produced to replenish the used up supply. But as late summer fades into autumn and the nights become cooler and the days shorter, the other pigments in the leaf predominate.
Those Cool Pigments Carotenoids – If this sounds kinda familiar, it should; the same stuff that makes our yellow and orange vegetables well, yellow and orange, colors our leaves as well. Some you know: carrots, corn and daffodils. But did you know they’re also present in egg yolks and canaries? And while carotenoids are present in the leaves all year long, they are masked by the green chlorophyll most of the time. Only when chlorophyll production begins to slow down do these become visible. Then we see the bright yellows and oranges of ash, aspens, maples and birches. Anthocyanins – And then there are those rare years when, in addition to the brilliant yellows and oranges, we have the deep reds and vibrant purples. Special conditions must exist for this unique show. Unlike the Carotenoids, Anthocyanins are not present throughout the growing season. When they develop, it’s because of some complex interactions both internally and externally. Their formation depends on the breakdown of sugars in the presence of bright sunlight as levels of phosphate inside the leaf drop. So when we get bright sunny autumn days and cool – but not freezing – nights, there’s a very good chance for the color show to be spectacular! And we sure have had a run of that kind of weather recently…well, up until the last few days, anyway.
Leaf Peeping – And the most popular state for that lush fall foliage? Vermont! Over 2.5 million visitors visit the state and the others of New England, spending on average $120 per day, predominantly on food, gas and lodging. Vermont alone rakes in on average $375 million! Kinda funny to think that when mother nature puts on her best show, we humans exchange our hard earned money for the privilege of taking part.
Your Trees – And while your trees do all the heavy lifting, you sure can help them prepare for the change of seasons by giving them what they need most this time of year. Whether it’s a Fall Fertilization, Air Spading, Horticultural Oil or specific pest or disease treatment, you can play a pivotal role! Remember, you ALWAYS have a Joshua Tree Certified Arborist on your team, and they can be onsite VERY quickly to assess what needs your landscape has as the season winds down. Appointments, recommendations and proposals are ALWAYS FREE, and we’d love to play our own special part to keeping your property in it’s very best health.