Taken earlier this week at 144th and Dodge, you can see many different colors now painting the Omaha landscape in this photo - green, red, orange, yellow, brown.
Chlorophyll, the chemical compound related to photosynthesis, has a green pigment and naturally gives a leaf its traditional green appearance. Chloroplasts line the plant cell wall and create the food needed to keep the plant alive and healthy. But, inside of that plant's leaf are other compounds masked by the green appearance of these chloroplasts.
As the season begins to change from summer to autumn, the days become shorter, the sun angle becomes lower and less powerful, and trees can no longer keep up with the required food production. The photosynthesis process begins to shut down, and while this means progressively less chloroplasts in the leaf, other naturally occurring compounds within the leaf still remain.
LEAF COLORS
Yellowish-gold leaves are usually abundant in carotene, which has a yellow/orange pigment, and found on Hickory, Elm and Buckeye trees. Carotene also converts into vitamin A.
Red leaves are abundant in anthocyanins, which has a red pigment, and is created when the tree breaks down sugar and starches created by chlorophyll, and found primarily on Oak trees.
Orange leaves are abundant in both yellow-y carotene and reddish anthocyanin compounds, and are found primarily on Maple trees.
Copper, or brown leaves are primarily found on Oak trees early in winter after all anthocyanin compounds are gone, leaving tannins (like in a dry, red wine). Ever notice how oak trees seem to still have some leaves when other trees are bare? That's why!
COLD NIGHTS
Cooler weather helps accelerate this process of shutting down photosynthesis production, and can also affect the vibrance of the color in a leaf. Once the tree senses its too cold, the tree begins storing nutrients only within its core, instead of the leaf, before going dormant for the upcoming winter.
The opposite of this, and what we've experienced this autumn, is continued warm weather. The growing season has stretched well into late-October, meaning trees have stayed green later than normal.
RAINFALL
Precipitation has a dramatic impact on fall foliage and the vibrance of colors seen then the leaves change. Wetter summer and autumn seasons mean more nutrients for the tree to convert into energy, leaving its leaves with stunning color in the fall.
The opposite of this, and (again) what we've experienced this year, is a very dry autumn. Even though the growing season has continued well into late-October, due to the lack of rainfall, trees cannot sustain chlorophyll production with few nutrients, and will often drop its leaves without even changing color. We've seen a few trees do this during autumn 2024.
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