Echoes of Nature's Rhythm | Change of Seasons

It’s interesting that most of us really enjoy season changes, but what I find ironic is that, in general, most people don’t like change…So how is it that we enjoy weather changes, is it the shift in perspective, or perhaps our different cute outfits? Even though we all know the old saying, “change is good,” we, as creatures of habit, have a hard time with change—especially sudden, unpredictable, life-altering change.

But change in weather? That’s good.. As they say, you can’t truly appreciate the good days without the bad ones. Well this shift in seasons made me think about change—a thought on changes of weather and the beauty we see all around and romanticize..in my opinion the most incredible time of year. Autumn.

Over the past few months, as I walked through streets where autumn blooms at its finest, I notice the changes in the trees: the colors, the bare branches, and how we find comfort in them. Why do we like seeing the leaves change color and the branches stand bare?

Is it the comforting fact of that change that they will grow back in the spring? Perhaps,  or maybe it's the reassurance that change, though temporary, will always return. Well good thing I’m not a philosopher…as I don’t really want to know the answers to these questions. I am here just interested on why leafs change color.. personally didn’t quite know so here I go.

Of course, as we all know it has something to do with the weather change, but to dive into the scientific details… it all boils down to the breakdown of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the pigment that helps trees make food through photosynthesis. It absorbs sunlight, which the tree uses to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars and is essentially their nutrition. 

“Well this shift in seasons made me think about change—a thought on changes of weather and the beauty we see all around and romanticize..in my opinion the most incredible time of year. Autumn.”

As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, trees begin to prepare for winter… they reduce the amount of chlorophyll they produce. Which then allows other pigments to have the spotlight in the leaves they become more visible and its their time to shine. 

To put it in words that I understand it more simply after researching…. too much… 

Tree leaves have different pigments. Chlorophyll is the dominant pigment during the warmer months, but there are others that stay hidden until the chlorophyll breaks down. Carotenoids, for example, produce yellow and orange colors. This pigment is sneaky because it's present in leaves all year round, but it's usually masked by the green chlorophyll. When the chlorophyll fades, the yellow and orange colors come through.

And then we have another fancy term and our last pigment anthocyanins, this beauty is responsible for red, purple, and blue hues. Unlike carotenoids, anthocyanins are produced later in the fall as part of the chemical processes that occur when the tree prepares for winter. This pigment is also powerful because it serves as a protective mechanism against too much sunlight, preventing damage to the leaves.

What an incredible process and fascinating changes our mother nature makes.. I’m sure at least once just like me you’ve wondered about the beauty of autumn and why the leaves change color.

So, here are some thoughts for you to ponder the next time you see the colors of fall. And as you have probably guessed it, my favorite part of it all… are the folktales, folklores, legends and stories that come through different traditions all over the world and past on by generations. And maybe one day who knows.. we can write our own.