Autumn Trees Nature Study Ideas

autumn trees nature study ideas

Autumn trees nature study ideas

Hello! In this tutorial, I thought it would be nice to share some nice autumn trees nature study ideas to help you learn about and deepen your connection to nature this season.  Are you ready? Lets get started!

Here are your quick links:

Autumn leaves nature study

Have you ever thought about why leaves change colour or why they fall in the autumn? It is all down to photosynthesis - or rather, the lack of photosynthesis. because of the cooler temperatures, shortening days and weakening sunlight.

You may be suprised to find out that leaves contain their bright yellow, orange, red and brown pigments all year round. Yep... it is just that you don't notice the other colours while their green pigment is dominant during the summer months.

So, the next time you are out on an autumn nature walk, here are some tree leaf nature study ideas to ponder:

  •  Notice the colours in the trees. Do different species turn different colours? Why do you think that is?
  • Can you find out which pigments make up the colours in a multicoloured leaf?
  • Do all of the leaves on a single tree change colour and fall at the same time, or does one side change colour or fall off first - and why do you think that is?
  • What happens when a leaf falls from the tree? Does it leave a scar and if so, what does that scar look like (and is it the same shape on all the different trees?)
  • Lastly, why not see if you can identify any of the trees just by their leaves.

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Fruits and berries nature study

This season is also a great time to study our beautifully jewel-like wild fruits and berries, which you can find not only on our shrubs and trees, but also on climbers, creepers and herby plants.
 
Producing fruits and berries is one of the methods that trees use to help them spread their seeds and produce offspring. They appear because of fertilisation of the trees' flowers by butterflies and bees during the spring and summer months.
 

So, the next time you are out on an autumn nature walk, keep your eyes open and see if you can spot any autumn berries. When you do, think about:

  • How berries develop after fertilisation
  • Why berries are different colours and the names of their pigments
  • Why berries change colour as they mature and ripen
  • How berries help the trees reproduce and make new trees
  • If different birds prefer different berries - and why you think this is
  • How berries might be useful to other wildlife too
  • Can you identify any trees just by their berries?

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Nuts and seeds nature study

Autumn is also the season to look for our wild nuts and tree seeds. Especially as they mature, ripen and begin to fall from the trees, which makes them easier for us to find, handle and examine.
 
Unlike fruits and berries, many of our tree seeds developed following wind fertilisation of the trees catkins. Although, some also require fertilisation by butterflies, hoverflies and bees.
 

So, as you are out and about, consider these questions:

  • Why do some seeds have wings and how might this be useful?
  • Why are nuts so tough and encased in hard or spiky shells or cases?
  • If they do develop in spiky cases, why is it helpful for them to split open as the nuts fall (rather than before)?
  • What exactly is the difference between nuts and seeds?
  • How do animals like squirrels help trees produce more trees?
  • Can you identify any trees just by looking at their nuts and seeds?

Useful resources for this section:

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Well, there we go! I hope you enjoyed these autumn trees nature study ideas? If you would love to recieve updates about new blog posts and nature study tutorials, don't forget to sign up below and subscribe to My Nature Nook newsletter x

What Makes Leaves Change Their Colour In Autumn?

why do leaves change colour

Why do leaves change colour in the autumn?

Hello! In this tutorial, we are going to look at how and why tree leaves change their colour in the autumn. We will also look at why some leaves turn yellow, while others turn orange or red. Are you ready? Lets get started!

Here are your quick links:

Why do leaves change colour?

Here is a quick over view of autumn leaves and their many colours.

  • Leaves contain several different coloured pigments - green chlorophyll, red anthocyanin, yellow xanthophyll and orange carotenoid 
  • There is so much more chlorophyll compared to the other pigments, that the leaves appear green.
  • Autumn's cold weather and reduced daylight hours prompt trees to enter a state of hibernation
  • Chlorophyll makes energy for the tree, but needs sunlight to function.
  • It also costs the tree a lot of energy to make its chlorophyll
  • So, they stop producing chlorophyll in order to save energy
  • Once the there is no more chlorophyll, we see the other pigments shine!

Are you ready to learn more? Let's go!

Why do trees have leaves?

To understand why leaves change colour, we must first understand why trees have leaves in the first place.

Leaves are basically the kitchens of plants and trees. They take the main ingredients a tree needs to live (sunlight and carbon dioxide), combines them with water and minerals (absorbed by the trees’ roots), and uses sunlight to cook them up into oxygen and sugars. These sugars can then be used as an energy source by the tree.

Why are leaves green?

In order to acquire the sunlight it needs to cook its food, trees have a special pigment (called chlorophyll) inside their leaves. Chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight and uses it as a catalyst (a helper) in this energy-making process. (This process is called photosynthesis.)

Chlorophyll is green - and there is LOTS of it in every leaf. So, most leaves look green. But, chlorophyll is not the only pigment present inside leaves.

There are actually several pigments, each with their own special function. The most important of these, are chlorophyll (green), carotenoids (orange), xanthophyll (yellow), tannins (brown) and anthocyanins (red).

But there is so much chlorophyll compared to the others, that it completely masks them to the point that we cannot see the other colours. That is, until the arrival of autumn.

What makes leaves change colour in the autumn?

As autumn sets in, the temperatures drop and the nights draw in, reducing daylight hours. This means less cooking or food-making time for the tree, which means less photosynthesis.

The amount of energy created by the chlorophyll drops significantly - even though the tree is still using up energy to make it. (This change in temperature and daylight, is called photoperiodism). It makes no sense for the tree to be wasting energy in making chlorophyll if it is not getting anything back. So, it stops making chlorophyll.

(Remember, there is more than one pigment present in tree leaves. It is just the vast quantity of chlorophyll that makes us see leaves as green. So, it makes sense that once the tree stops producing chlorophyll, we will start to see the other pigments present in the leaves.)

But even these pigments compete with each other. Remember, xanthophyll is yellow, carotenoids are orange and anthocyanins are red. So, if there are more carotenoids and xanthophyll than anthocyanins, we see the leaves as orange or yellow. But if there are more anthocyanins than carotenoids, then the leaves appear red.

How does weather affect leaf colour?

Like chlorophyll, carotenoids and anthocyanin are also dependent on temperature and daylight hours - especially anthocyanin.

So, sometimes, if the season is cold and bright, red leaves become much more vibrant (because the tree is producing lots of anthocyanin).

Whereas, if the season is cloudy and overcast, the leaves look duller and not as bright (because it is not producing as much).

Do all trees lose their leaves in the autumn?

Although photoperiodism will affect almost all trees, not all trees lose their leaves in response to it.

Conifers are called evergreens because they do not shed their leaves in the autumn (although, larch does). Whereas deciduous trees almost always shed their leaves (although, holly and holly oak are exceptions).

Also, not all deciduous trees shed their leaves at the same time. Some trees, like ash, change colour and drop their leaves really early in the season. While others, such as oak, beech, sycamore and hornbeam take time to respond and hold on to their leaves for much, much longer.

Why are autumn trees different colours?

If you look around you in the autumn, you will notice a wide array of autumn shades. Some trees are red, some are yellow, some orange and others are brown.

While the colour of each tree is dependent on the ratio of its pigments, certain trees tend to turn certain colours.

For example, hornbeam and maple often turn red, while field maple and ash are usually yellow. Hawthorn often turns to orange and oak, with its tannins, turns a tan-brown colour.

Well, there we go!

So, what makes leaves change their colour in the autumn? It is all down to cooler weather, shorter daylight hours and pigments!

Once the autumn kicks in and the days get shorter, the trees cannot justify wasting energy to produce chlorophyll, because it cannot help the tree make energy in return. So, they stop making it, allowing all the other pigments present in the leaf to step into the dimming light and shine!

If you would love to learn more, you can have a look at this BBC documentary about why leaves change colour in the autumn. You can also learn how to preserve your leaves for autumn crafts in this nature craft tutorial.

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