Just this week, the leaves here began to turn in a marked
way. And, finally, biology and urban naturalism are coming together. Leaves
change color because of triggers such as length of light, temperature, and amount
of precipitation, maybe things we already knew or could guess. But, what I learned
is that these factors cause elements of the light-absorbing green pigment chlorophyll
to degrade, allowing other pigments that were already present to show through. The
stronger green now makes way for the orange and red (carotenoids) and yellow
(xanthophylls), no longer masking the brilliant variety of color.
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