I have always been amazed by the wonders of nature. For example, the hatching of butterflies, the life cycle of frogs, the effects of short and long daylight hours on plant growth, and the changing colors of leaves on deciduous trees and shrubs to beautiful shades of red, yellow, purple, orange, pink, magenta, and brown.
This year’s display of fall foliage in our neighborhoods has been exceptional due to our adequate rainfall, bright days, and cool but not freezing days.
In fact, I would venture to say that our local “leaf peepers” might declare this year’s display rivaled not only the brilliant coloration of Brown County, Indiana, but, if they traveled afar, those in Vermont, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
With the advent of autumn and its shorter daylight hours the production of the green pigment chlorophyll breaks down thus exposing carotenoid, an organic pigment which triggers the colors of orange, yellow, and their hues. Carotenoids, unlike another organic pigment found in leaves, anthocyanin; are present in leaves year round but are masked by the leaf’s production of chlorophyll and are present in 15 to 30 percent of all tree species including hickories, maples, sycamores, cottonwoods, and ash.
Anthocyanin pigments, unlike those of carotenoids, are not present in leaves until the fall. They are responsible for the purple to red coloration of leaves of maples, oaks, dogwoods, cherry, and persimmon trees and often times blend with the yellow and orange pigments of carotenoids to produce deep orange, fiery reds and bronzes.
The pigment carotenoid is also responsible for the yellow color of carrots, corn, daffodils, buttercup flowers, and bananas as well as coloration of canaries and certain insects, whereas anthocyanin’s give color to cranberries, red apples, strawberries, plums, and persimmons.
Although our city initiated the curbside collection of bagged leaves on November 10, I am at odds with the practice. Why? The environmental friendly practice of mulching them onto lawns or adding them to a compost pile makes good sense in that fallen leaves “green manure” are a valuable source of nutrients and rich in minerals and organic matter. If left on a lawn, grass clippings can replace the use of fertilizer by twenty five percent.
Ed Myers is an Advanced Master Gardener and a past president of the Irvington Garden Club and Garfield Park Master Gardener Association. Additionally, he is the Steward of Irvington’s Benton House Historic and Kile Oak Habitat Gardens.