Are you a Leaf Looker?

North Carolina's Masterpiece

Before long the leaves will flutter away from their summer branches and become a colorful carpet that covers the ground. Before they fall, however, many people, often known as "leaf lookers," make pilgrimages to the mountains and countrysides to view Mother Nature's glorious explosions of color. North Carolina leads the pack for leaf lookers, and depending upon the season, the species of trees involved, and the relative proportion of the three major pigments that are contained in leaves, just about every imaginable color combination may be seen.

No matter where you live, the panorama of autumn leaves is surely not too far away to enjoy. Some areas, like the Northeast, lose their color all too quickly. Others, such as the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains of America's Southeast, seem to retain their color much longer, but the displays in and around the United States are among the finest in the world.

The U.S. Forest Service has a special toll-free number specifically for leaf-lookers. The toll-free 'Fall Color Hotline' can be reached at (800) 354-4595. The automated voice system is updated weekly with information about peak fall foliage colors in various regions throughout the country. This is the 16th year this service has been provided and last year there were more than 29,000 callers. The Hotline will continue to operate through the middle of November, or as long as there is significant fall color in our national forests.

It's Not Easy Being Green
Many people might say that old Jack Frost is responsible for the color change in the leaves, but we now know that the change in coloring is the result of chemical processes which take place in the tree as the season changes from summer to winter.

Through spring and summer leaves serve as factories where most of the foods necessary for a tree's growth are manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. Along with the green, leaves also contain yellow or orange carotenoids which, for example, give the carrot its familiar color. Most of the year … these yellowish or orange colors are masked by the greater amount of green coloring. But in the fall, partly because of changes in the period of daylight and changes in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process; the chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellowish colors become visible and give the leaves their fall splendor.

The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are actually caused by a chemical breakdown of glucose. In some trees, like maples, glucose is trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn cause the leaves to turn this glucose into a red color. The brown coloring in the leaves of trees like oaks is made from waste products remaining in the leaves.

It is the combination of all these things that make the beautiful colors we enjoy in the fall season.

A Quick Guide to Fall Colors

Ash:
Green ash leaves turn yellow, but white ash leaves have a purplish cast. The leaves fall after those of walnut trees, but earlier than those of oaks and maples.

Bur Oak:
Buff to yellow colors predominates in bur oaks. The leaves remain on the tree and turn brown before falling.

Elms:
Elm leaves turn various shades of yellow with some turning brown before falling, others falling while still yellow.

Hickory:
Leaves turn yellow on hickory trees, then brown before falling.

Maple (Soft):
The leaves of soft (silver) maples turn yellow but do not turn brown before falling.

Maple (Hard):
Brilliant flame-red hues are the signature of hard maple leaves. The red pigmentation of some leaves breaks down before falling.

Oak (Red):
Red oaks have brilliant red leaves in fall, though the color is probably not as intense as that of some hard maples.

Oak (White):
White oaks have a more subdued purple color. The leaves then turn brown and often stay on the tree until new leaves begin to grow in the spring.