Children are going back to school all excited to see all their school friends again, and for the rest of us getting stuck behind the school bus is once again something that takes some extra planning when trying to make it to an appointment.
Fall is one of my favorite times because it's not too hot, not too cold, and depending on the type of fall it is, it can be a bright fall or a light fall.
There is nothing like taking a ride on the motorcycle through the mountain pass where the cool crisp air is delightful, and the spectacularly bright colors in the leaves on a clear sunny day is beyond compare.
I had always wondered why some years the falls seem brighter, and others seem more dull. I knew it wasn't my imagination, so I looked into why it is that some seem brighter, and thought I would share.
Several different factors go into producing the beautiful fall colors.
During the summer, leaves are given their green color by chlorophyll that the tree sends its leaves in order to conduct photosynthesis. The shorter days and cooler temperatures of fall reduce the amount of chlorophyll the tree sends to its leaves. Since the chlorophyll is less and less in the leaves, the leaves begin turning from green to hues of yellow and orange color.
The vibrancy and variation of leaf color is determined by how much sugar is “trapped” in the leaf. The tree produces sugar during the warm afternoon, but it becomes trapped in the leaf when the night turns cool. The more sugar a leaf has trapped in it, the brighter its color will be and the more variations you will see of reds, bright oranges, and purples. The best colors result when there are sunny fall days, cool nights, and enough rainfall to keep the leaves from falling to soon.
All of this is pure inspiration to capture the beauty of the fall colors in my soaps, as well as the deep spicy aromas of the season.
I do not have any pictures to share at this time... I know, boring.
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