Today, October 2 the woods are reflecting my house! My favorite colors are yellow, orange, green and brown for my living area. Outside it is no longer just the edges of the maples that are yellow! The entirety of the leaves is turning.

A recent fact list about autumn stated: “Yellow, orange and variations thereof always reside in the pigmentation of tree leaves, but they are just overpowered by the abundance of green from the chlorophyll in the leaves. When the sun weakens and days grow shorter, the amount of chlorophyll in leaves diminishes, allowing the other pigments in the leave to show through.

Guess I likely learned that in school, but I am delighted to think about the other colors residing there all year long and just masked by the green of the chlorophyll.

Rabbit trail: Do you remember Clorets chewing gum? Creators maintained it cured bad breath. The actual ingredient was chlorophyllin. Scientists are now looking at that chemical in the possible treatment of cancer and burns.

The autumn fact list article goes on to say red and purple leaves are actually caused by the presence of sugars from sap that is trapped inside of leaves. Well, there you have it!