Fall leaves are falling

Leaves of a black maple show off some of their crimson colors in a stand of trees along my jogging route. I didn't have my camera with me when I jogged past them at the peak of their autumn glory. When I did have a camera for this image a couple of days later, the leaves already were becoming dry and declining in color. Since then, all the maple's leaves have tumbled down, and the tree is bare. The leaves had changed from green to red, because in late summer the tree shuts off veins in the leaf stalks. The leaves turned red as they used stored sugars in each leaf. The same process occurs in leaves that change from green to brown. Leaves that change from green to yellows and oranges
are simply turning to their real colors. Until autumn, they're green from the chlorophyll in the process of photosynthesis. Less and less chlorophyll is produced as the days become shorter, and then the leaves begin to show their true colors. The autumn's hues here in southwest Illinois have been more colorful than expected this year after a summer of severe drought, which normally would contribute to less-vibrant fall foliage. While the black maple has dropped all of its leaves, other trees – especially most oaks here – are still undergoing their autumnal change of life.