Trees and Shrubs: Fall Foliage
Each fall, the Appalachians put on an impressive display as the foliage changes colors before the leaves drop on deciduous trees. But why do they change? The colors you see in the fall are in the leaves through the year. But, the colors are masked by the chlorophyll, which our eyes see as green. Chlorophyll is what the trees use to make food and each fall it breaks down and separates. That's when the other colors start to show through.
Red and sugar maples, with their bright red leaves change first. They are followed by birches and hickories and then oaks and beeches. Basswood leaves in the Nantahala National Forest (North Carolina) are pictured here.
Fall Foliage - Maples - Oaks - Serviceberry - Firs - Azalea - Mountain Laurel -
Rhododendron
› Go to Plants and Animals overview
| 
