Minnesota Home Stager Report - Why Do The Leaves Change Color in the Fall?

       It all has to do with sugar and temperatures, basically.  On days when it is warm and sunny the leaves produce sugar.  Bright sunlight generates a reaction between the sugars in the leaves and anthocyanins, the compound that produces red tint.                                                             

      Different tree varieties produce more or less sugar.  Hence, the sugar maple is capable of brilliant scarlet.

     The cooler temperatures we experience in Minnesota in the Fall season, cause the veins in the tree leaves to gradually close, which prevents the sugars from moving and preserves the red tones.  For the most spectacular colors - we must have a succession of warm, sunny days and cool, crisp nights.

      There that was relatively easy, right?  

  Here is a photo I took just for you in our local Northland Arboretum