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September 1, 2005
SHORTER DAYS, LONGER NIGHTS BRING ON OHIO’S FALL COLOR
The key to Ohio’s vibrant autumn color season is a combination of long, cool nights and short, sunny days in mid to late September, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry.
Decreasing amounts of sunlight in the fall trigger a chemical change in the leaves of hickory, birch and beech trees that causes them to turn various shades of yellow, brown and orange. These colors, called carotenoids, were present in the leaves all along, but were hidden by green chlorophylls during the spring and summer.
Additional shades of red and purple, called anthocyanin pigments, develop in late summer in the sap cells of tree leaves that are rich in sugar, including maples, oaks, sweetgums and dogwoods.
In woodlands where there are trees rich in both carotenoids and anthocyanins, the combination of fiery reds, golds and bronzes can light up a vista, creating the typical autumn landscape so familiar to Ohioans.
With more than 100 species of trees in the state, it’s no wonder Ohio’s Fall Color season is so spectacular.
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