Chemistry: Guess what's Coming, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Leaves are Chemistry! (Well, everything is chemistry, actually!) But what I meant was, the fall colors that are starting to show where I live, just a little, are caused by chemical changes. The greens of summer are a pigment called chlorophyll which photosynthesize and make oxygen and all the sugars and starches we eat. There are also carotins and anthocyanins and zanthophylls in the leaves. When it begins to cool off and the sun drops low in the sky (I know, I know, it's NOT cooling off yet!), the leaves begin to seal themselves off from the tree (or vice versa) and the chlorophyll begins to die, exposing the other pigments of red, yellow and purple. YAY fall colors! YAY Chemistry. Who knew? (Who cared?)(I did!)
(For this week's challenge.)
2 comments:
YAY FOR FALL!!!!! But to me its a bad thing because that means winter is on its way.. No electricity in my house yet and we are planning on moving there this winter :( Im gonna freeze my little butt off!!!! But oh well.. I will be stronger in the end huh!
I am so ready to Fall its been in the 100's for the past week and a half. No end in sight. Love what you did with the outline of leaves over the colored leaves. Very cool.
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