October in the Middle West! What a thrilling month for those folks who from day to day watch Nature secretly, silently and swiftly shift the scenes in cities and on the countryside from verdant green to yellow mixed with orange, red and purple. Plants that sat backstage during the summer show, now step forward and assume the major roles in the fall revue.
Virginia creeper, climbing to the very top of the old oak tree, frantically waved its leaves at the passing motorists during the summer season - but they did not see. Soon this vine in all its glory, dressed in gorgeous red and scarlet, stops the same motorists, who now marvel at its sudden beauty.
Sumacs and poison ivy, villains in the play, chuckle at the masterful way in which they receive public applause. Bittersweet, with its clear yellow dress and dangling, orange colored jewels, also plays well. The fall actors, white ash, green ash, Amur maple, red maple, sugar maple and the oaks soon take the stage for the climax of the drama. After the curtain falls, the players stand by almost unnoticed until spring, when they again open an entirely new, thrilling show.
A Privileged Region
Now, as we enjoy Nature's phenomenon of fall color, few people realize that the Midwest is located in one of the few regions of the world where brilliant autumn coloration of foliage prevails. This marvelous display is confined to deciduous forest areas of the temperate zone, blessed by considerable rainfall. Leaves turn brown and fall from plants in the tropical regions toward the end of the dry season, and little bright color occurs.
The gorgeous beauty of most autumn color combinations results from the bright reds and brilliant scarlets displayed together with the pleasing yellows. The Amur maple, red maple, sugar maple, sassafras, sumacs, oaks, sourwood, tupelo and flowering dogwood are especially outstanding for their conspicuous, red fall color. Since the fall color of these dogwood tree blossoms and trees varies from year to year, it becomes evident that brilliant displays depend pretty largely on certain definite weather conditions.
Yellow is the dominant color in our fall show, since the greater number of trees in the woods and in our plantings belong to the group whose leaves normally turn yellow before dropping. This group includes elms, poplars, willows, locusts, hackberry, Norway maple, box elder, green ash, birch, tulip-tree and redbud. The yellow color is believed to be due to the reduction in the rate of the plants' manufacture of chlorophyll - which provides the green color - while the rate of decomposition is maintained. The two yellow pigments usually present, carotin and xanthophyll, are simply masked by the green chlorophyll until it is broken down by the approach of fall.
Virginia creeper, climbing to the very top of the old oak tree, frantically waved its leaves at the passing motorists during the summer season - but they did not see. Soon this vine in all its glory, dressed in gorgeous red and scarlet, stops the same motorists, who now marvel at its sudden beauty.
Sumacs and poison ivy, villains in the play, chuckle at the masterful way in which they receive public applause. Bittersweet, with its clear yellow dress and dangling, orange colored jewels, also plays well. The fall actors, white ash, green ash, Amur maple, red maple, sugar maple and the oaks soon take the stage for the climax of the drama. After the curtain falls, the players stand by almost unnoticed until spring, when they again open an entirely new, thrilling show.
A Privileged Region
Now, as we enjoy Nature's phenomenon of fall color, few people realize that the Midwest is located in one of the few regions of the world where brilliant autumn coloration of foliage prevails. This marvelous display is confined to deciduous forest areas of the temperate zone, blessed by considerable rainfall. Leaves turn brown and fall from plants in the tropical regions toward the end of the dry season, and little bright color occurs.
The gorgeous beauty of most autumn color combinations results from the bright reds and brilliant scarlets displayed together with the pleasing yellows. The Amur maple, red maple, sugar maple, sassafras, sumacs, oaks, sourwood, tupelo and flowering dogwood are especially outstanding for their conspicuous, red fall color. Since the fall color of these dogwood tree blossoms and trees varies from year to year, it becomes evident that brilliant displays depend pretty largely on certain definite weather conditions.
Yellow is the dominant color in our fall show, since the greater number of trees in the woods and in our plantings belong to the group whose leaves normally turn yellow before dropping. This group includes elms, poplars, willows, locusts, hackberry, Norway maple, box elder, green ash, birch, tulip-tree and redbud. The yellow color is believed to be due to the reduction in the rate of the plants' manufacture of chlorophyll - which provides the green color - while the rate of decomposition is maintained. The two yellow pigments usually present, carotin and xanthophyll, are simply masked by the green chlorophyll until it is broken down by the approach of fall.
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