The autumn panoramas have something in common, they all show the brown tones of a natural tapestry generated by the fallen leaves of the trees. A beautiful phenomenon to admire that reminds us that nature is a spiral cycle, it has its flourishing moments, but it also reaches the necessary break to begin again. Autumn is just that, a time in the cycle where tree beings prepare to rest. But what exactly happens in their systems that causes their leaves to fall in the fall is a question for those curious.
From a young age we learned that the plant kingdom is characterized by its autotrophic capacity. Through photosynthesis they generate a substance called chlorophyll that gives them their vibrant green appearance. But also through this process, they produce their own food, although to do so they need the most powerful source of energy we have, solar energy.
Thanks to the Sun, they obtain the energy necessary to develop their daily vital functions that keep plants and animals healthy and beautiful. However, when autumn arrives, an astronomical phenomenon known as the autumn equinox occurs, marking the entrance of the season. Right on this date, day and night last exactly the same hours, but from then on the nights will begin to get longer and, therefore, sunlight will gradually decrease. Although a strange phenomenon also occurs where the sky looks much bluer than in the other epics of the year.
A wise decision
The job of the leaves is to convert this sunlight into food, but with little light and cold conditions, the tree makes a wise decision. They stop the production of chlorophyll which causes the leaves to turn brown, since they do not have . When the tree has used all the chlorophyll left in the leaves, it releases them. For this reason, in autumn some trees leave a beautiful tapestry of brown leaves on the ground.
The tree does not die, but rather goes into a kind of hibernation, just like the squirrels and bears. By emptying its branches of leaves, it no longer needs food to maintain its foliage, so it goes into a deep fall and winter. Until the sunlight is enough to produce chlorophyll again and the soil is well hydrated again thanks to the rains, then the leaves will grow again. The trees will once again be filled with great green foliage, to continue their annual cycle over and over again.
But not all trees completely lose their leaves, those that do are known as deciduous trees. These are the ones that, like bears, enter a process similar to hibernation and rest until they can feed again. Meanwhile, there are other types of trees that do not lose their leaves completely, but seem to have green leaves all year round. These are called evergreen and although they always seem to be vital, their leaves also die, although not simultaneously and not for long months.