Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall

Diane Ackerman"s, "Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall," (1990) explains why leaves during the fall season change colors. The author writes that the leaves stop producing the pigment chlorophyll and photosynthesis cease because the leaves are undernourished. Ackerman also writes about how humans love the changing color of leaves during the season and how different pigments change the colors of the leaves. The author mention the pigments anthocyanin which turn leaves red and carotenoids which turn leaves orange and yellow. Ackerman made an analogy that humans hope that our death would be like the death of a leaf, not to vanish but to sublime from one beautiful state to another. We feel that the changing colors are beautiful and that this article is very educational.