Fall Foliage Facts

• Color change in leaves is prompted by photoperiodism (the amount of daylight), not by cooler temperatures. As days get shorter less chlorophyll can be used, and this green pigment starts to degrade, revealing the other pigments.
• Trees with leaves that always turn yellow - tulip poplar, birch, hickory, and redbud.
• Some trees have leaves with high amounts of tannins in them (like oaks). These leaves may turn brown in fall as a result.
• Yellow and orange colors come from carotenoid pigments; red color comes from anthocyanin pigments. The combination of both pigments produces the deep red, oranges, and gold colors of fall leaves.