Why are leaves green?
Reason Leaves Appear Green
We all know the process of photosynthesis, and in that, we have talked about the importance of chlorophyll molecules in each plant cell. Plants are divided into many parts like roots, stems, flowers and leaves. The leaves are the part where the plant makes its energy or food, and this process is known as photosynthesis. Plants absorb light energy and then convert it into chemical energy; that is the process that provides glucose. Sugars in the plant will make energy and some other useful elements which the plant requires to grow and produce its food, as they are autotrophs. Summer turns into fall, the days start getting shorter, and there is less sunlight. This is a signal for the leaf to prepare for winter and to stop making chlorophyll. Once this happened, the green colour started to fade and the red, orange and yellow became visible. In the fall, plants put on a pretty impressive fashion show. Leaves that were green all summer long start to turn bright red, orange and yellow, but where do such colours come from? It all starts inside the leaves. Leaves have colour because of chemicals called pigments, and there are four main types of pigments in each leaf, which are responsible for the colour of the leaf. Leaves are green in the spring and summer because that’s when they are making lots of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is important because it helps plants make energy from sunlight. The summer sunlight triggers the leaf to keep making more chlorophyll. But trees are very sensitive to changes in their environment, so as the summer fades away and days start getting short, the amount of chlorophyll that is produced each day decreases.
– Written By Aruja
