Nothing signals the start of the winter season like the wonderful show of leaves that begins in the fall.  I love the wonderful colors that so many trees display for us.  Some years are better than others.  Have you ever wondered why?

In the fall, as the days get shorter and colder, trees that are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves, will begin to prepare for the shedding of their leaves.  As they do that the tree will rest and live off the food it stored during the summer.  This causes the leaves to lose their green color and you will then see the orange and red pigments that actually are already there under the green of the leaves.  The bright red and purple colors develop from sugars trapped in the leaves.

The best displays are in the Eastern United States due to their cooler climate and their wide variety of trees.  Dry late summers, bright sunny days and cool nights create the best colors.  Often you will also see bushes whose trunks also change color.  Where I live I see a lot of Sumac bushes.  They are beautiful year round, but their fall orange, bright red or reddish-purple fall color cause them to stand out from where they are planted as other bushes are losing their leaves.

Each year it's a new surprise to see how the trees are going to look.  I look forward to it every year and it ends too soon for my liking!  It is always hard for me to wait another year for the next great show!