By Joseph Reznik | Columnist
As we move into September and the days get shorter and cooler, plants and animals take these cues and begin to prepare for winter. These cues will change the behaviors of plants and animals. Some animals will migrate, yet others have strategies to make it through the cold and stay in place. Plants, however, are not mobile and have to make themselves ready for the cold days coming, many by losing their leaves.
The leaves of plants are fleshy and are the most vulnerable part of the plant. After the plants have gathered and stored as much energy as they can through photosynthesis, they will begin to recycle their leaves and store as many of the chemicals as they can before dropping the leaves. This is why leaves change color in the fall. There are two primary pigments that carry out photosynthesis and give leaves color and the plants want to save: chlorophyll (green) and carotenoids (reds and yellows). Leaves are mostly filled with chlorophyll which is why they appear green through most of the year, but as the plant recycles the chlorophyll, you begin to see the red and yellow pigments that give fall its signature colors.
The behavior of the plants changing color is something everyone can help track and provide climate information to the scientific community. One project you can participate in to help scientists track these behavioral changes in plants is Project Budburst (budburst.org). This is a year round project that lets you tell the scientific community when plants begin to get leaves in the spring, monitor their condition through the summer, when flowers and fruits appear, and when they lose their leaves in the fall. All you have to do is take a picture of the plant and the app will give you lots of prompts to help you gather the current phonological stage of the plant. This information can then help farmers, foresters, and local weather forecasters make better predictions and improve their businesses.
I hope this activity will encourage everyone to spend a little bit of time outdoors and if you want to tell me about your adventures, drop me an email at: [email protected] Happy explorations…
