Why do leaves turn yellow and red in autumn?

Have you ever kicked through a pile of crunchy autumn leaves? Some leaves are yellow like a banana. Others are red like a strawberry.

But in summer, those very same leaves were green. Where did all that green go? So why do leaves turn yellow and red in autumn? Let's find out together.

All summer long, each leaf makes lots of green. The green helps the leaf use sunlight to make food for the tree. Each green leaf is like a tiny kitchen in the sun.

Then autumn comes. The days get shorter, and the nights get colder. The sun sets earlier every evening. Now the leaves get less sunlight each day.

Now that the days are short, the leaf stops making new green. Its green begins to fade, which means going away bit by bit. Day after day, the leaf loses more of its green.

Yet the leaf held a secret all summer. Another color was tucked inside it, under all that green. It waited quietly for its turn. What color do you think was hiding there?

It was yellow! When the green fades, the yellow finally shows. It was there all along, just covered up. That is why so many leaves turn bright yellow.

Some trees, like maples, turn red too. Their leaves keep sweet sugar inside on sunny autumn days. From that sugar, the leaf makes a brand new red color, one that was never hiding before. Those red leaves glow like ripe cherries.

Fade. With shorter days, the green fades, so yellow shows and some leaves make red.

Next time you crunch through golden leaves, you will know their cozy autumn secret.