Why Do Leaves Fall off Trees?
Autumn is the season when the leaves change colors and fall off trees.
Why does this happen?
The answer is simple ? trees lose their leaves in the late fall so that they can stay alive through the winter.
In the sunny, warm days of spring and summer, trees can easily keep healthy because their leaves absorb sunlight and turn it into energy.
During this process, called photosynthesis, the tree naturally loses some of its stored water.
This is because the leaves release water back into the air around them.
In the cold and dark winter season, a tree cannot replace its lost water, so it drops its leaves to save energy.
Tree leaves appear green because they have a green chemical, called chlorophyll, that captures the sunlight.
In the fall, there is less direct sunshine, so the chlorophyll disappears.
The remaining colors are the beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows of autumn.
