Why Leaves Change Color

Colorful autumn leaves

Read about why leaves change color in Autumn.

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Words to Know　読む前に知っておきたい言葉

You may want to read these words before you begin.

WordEnglish explanation日本語
coldhaving very little heat寒い、冷たい
warmhaving a comfortable amount of heat暖かい
treeslarge plants with a hard main part and many branches木、木々
airwhat is around us and what people and animals breathe空気
plantsliving things that grow in the ground and use sunlight植物
stronghaving a lot of power or effect強い
sunlightlight that comes from the sun日光、太陽の光
beautifulvery nice to see, hear, or experience美しい、きれいな
coverto be over something so that it cannot be seen覆う、隠す
darkhaving little light or a deep color暗い、濃い色の

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In warm months, most leaves are green. But when cold months come, something beautiful happens. Leaves turn many colors. Why does this happen?

The green color in leaves comes from something inside them. This thing helps leaves use light from the sun. Leaves use sunlight, air, and water to make food. Trees and other plants need this food to live.

This green color is very strong in warm months. There are other colors in leaves too, but we cannot see them. The green color is too strong. It covers the other colors.

When cold months come, days get short. There is less sunlight each day. The air gets cold too. Trees and plants know that very cold days are coming. There will be very little light. The land will be hard and cold. It will be difficult to get water.

Trees get ready for very cold days. They stop making food in their leaves. When this happens, the green color goes away. Now we can see the other colors that were always there. These colors were in the leaves all along, but the green color covered them.

After a few weeks, all the green color goes away. The leaves turn dark. Then they fall down. There will be no leaves in very cold months. This is good. Without leaves, there is no need for much water or food. Everything can wait for warm days to come again.

When warm days come back, new leaves will grow. They will have that first green color again. The same thing will happen every year.

Take a moment to think about what you read.

Optional: Check your understanding

You can answer these quick questions, or skip them and choose another story.

1. What do leaves use to make food in warm months?

  1. soil, wind, and heat
  2. moonlight and water
  3. sunlight, air, and water
  4. darkness and cold

2. Why can we not see other colors in leaves during warm months?

  1. the leaves are too small
  2. the green color is too strong
  3. there is too much rain
  4. the leaves are too young

3. What change happens when cold months come?

  1. leaves grow bigger
  2. days become longer
  3. leaves make more food
  4. days become shorter

4. Why do trees stop making food in their leaves?

  1. they want new colors
  2. there is too much water
  3. cold and little light are coming
  4. insects eat the leaves

5. What can we see when the green color goes away?

  1. new branches
  2. the other colors in the leaves
  3. more water in the leaves
  4. small animals under the leaves

6. Why is it good for leaves to fall before very cold months?

  1. it helps animals find food
  2. it makes the land softer
  3. it saves water and food
  4. it makes days longer
Show answers
  1. c
  2. b
  3. d
  4. c
  5. b
  6. c

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