Friends til the End
by Marnie Patchett
Title
Friends til the End
Artist
Marnie Patchett
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Autumn color close up. This was actually all that was left on this tree along the bank of the McCloud Reservoir. Fall foliage can be beautiful no matter how much there is.
A color palette needs pigments, and there are three types that are involved in autumn color. Certain colors are characteristic of particular species. The timing of the color change also varies by species.
Chlorophyll, which gives leaves their basic green color. It is necessary for photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables plants to use sunlight to manufacture sugars for their food. Trees in the temperate zones store these sugars for their winter dormant period.
Carotenoids, which produce yellow, orange, and brown colors in such things as corn, carrots, and daffodils, as well as rutabagas, buttercups, and bananas.
Anthocyanins, which give color to such familiar things as cranberries, red apples, concord grapes, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums. They are water soluble and appear in the watery liquid of leaf cells.
Both chlorophyll and carotenoids are present in the chloroplasts of leaf cells throughout the growing season. Most anthocyanins are produced in the autumn, in response to bright light and excess plant sugars within leaf cells.
During the growing season, chlorophyll is continually being produced and broken down and leaves appear green. As night length increases in the autumn, chlorophyll production slows down and then stops and eventually all the chlorophyll is destroyed. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that are present in the leaf are then unmasked and show their colors.
Uploaded
November 9th, 2016
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