Brisk Temperatures Create Beautiful Colors Throughout the Range

GOGEBIC-IRON COUNTY RANGE - Friday, October 09, 2009 - Fall colors paint the horizon throughout the area. Shorten days and brisk temperatures have transformed quite green summer foliage into a rich pallet of vivid autumn colors.

Have you ever wondered what causes wide range of colors? It's all due to a biochemical change in the leaves, and three principle pigments:

Chlorophyll, which gives leaves their basic green color. It is necessary for photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables plants to use sunlight to manufacture sugars for their food. Trees in the temperate zones store these sugars for their winter dormant period.

Carotenoids, which produce yellow, orange, and brown colors in such things as corn, carrots, and daffodils, as well as rutabagas, buttercups, and bananas.

Anthocyanins, which give color to such familiar things as cranberries, red apples, concord grapes, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums. They are water soluble and appear in the watery liquid of leaf cells.

 During the growing season, chlorophyll is constantly being produced and broken down. As a result, the leaves appear green. As days shorten and nights become longer in the fall, chlorophyll production slows down and then stops and eventually all the chlorophyll is destroyed. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that are present in the leaf are then unmasked and show their colors.

Each species of tree tends to produce specific colors. Fortunately for us, we live in an area with a wide variety of tree species, giving us dramatic, beautiful colors that are unique to the Gogebic Range.