What's with the different colored leaves in the fall?

Question

I feel really stupid asking this, and I assume I will get some people rolling their eyes at me for posting this, but it's something I never thought about before.

I know why leaves change color in the fall, and I know why they fall from the trees. My question is why different colors. Why do some trees' leaves turn red, others yellow and others orange or brown?

I know I should know this, and again I apologize for asking you to take time to answer such an elementary question, but I'm curious.

Answer 1

Just natural variation in the base color of the leaves.

Just like the color of flower petals are different, the color of tree leaves are different. Just like you can find a red rose, a yellow rose, and a pink rose; you can find yellow leaves, red leaves, orange leaves.

But unlike flower petals, all leaves have chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the green "stuff" that allows plants to combine sunlight and nutrients into energy for the plant. Parts of a plant that have chlorophyll usually have so much of it, that the green color of the chlorophyll dominates.

The green of chlorophyll dominates so much, that the basic color of all leaves is green. The exact hue varies because of the other colors in the leaves, but the green of chlorophyll dominates.

For plants that change colors in the fall, they just loose the chlorophyll and what you get is the color of the rest of the plant.

Answer 2

Hi. Some leaves contain different materials in their structure. When the chlorophyll is removed the 'true' color is revealed. Some leaves have more sugar, for instance, and have a reddish or yellowish base. Just what I think.

Answer 3

Ok, so in the leaves are the carotenoids. And some reflect red light more than the other colors in the spectrum, so therefore, the red light bounces back to your eyes very strongly. Other leaves may reflect yellow better, or orange or brown better, and therefore you see those colors.

Answer 4

Lack of chlorophyll? Too much chlorophyll? One of those.