[Faith-talk] {Spam?} What Puts the Color In Autumn Leaves? by Bob Devine

[Paul Smith]

Actually, folks, the first word in the subject line should read not 
"what" but "Who?" Well, I'm not changing one word here, but in my 
opinion "who" would have been a better word.  We have four 
fully-sighted people reading this, and I'm sure they would appreciate 
what Mr. Devine had to say more so than those of us reading or 
listening to this with residual or no sight.  Nevertheless I hope that 
God will speak to you through this article, originally written as a 
tract many years ago and distributed by the American Tract Society.

What causes a beautiful green forest to turn red, orange, and gold in 
autumn? The most common answer is a frost or cool weather.  But frost 
actually damages the leaves, making them turn brown.  Cool weather does 
help some, but it isn't the cause either.

Scientists tell us the answer is the reduction of daylight hours.  The 
pleasant summer sun in June shines for nearly 15 hours each day, but by 
the time October rolls around, daylight hours have shortened to 11.  
That's a change of three hours.  Naturalists tell us this is what puts 
the color in autumn leaves.  Here's how it happens.

Would you be surprised if you found out that the beautiful fall colors 
were really in the leaves all summer long? That's right! The reason you 
didn't see them was that chlorophyll covered them up.  The Greeks made 
up that word.  "Chloros" means green and "phyllon" means leaf.

Lots of sunshine is essential to manufacture chlorophyll in leaves.  
Two basic chemicals are needed--nitrogen and magnesium.  Nitrogen makes 
the bright green color.  These two chemicals are found in the soil.  
They enter the roots, flow up the trunk with the sap, enter the 
branches, and end their journey in the leaves.

Depending on the kind of tree, three different substances are at work 
during the summer to produce beautiful colors in leaves.  Sugar maples 
have carotene, an orange color.  Some maples have anthocyanins, making 
a red color.  Tulip trees, birches and elms have a lot of xanthophyll 
pigment, which is yellow in color.  Sweet gum trees have all three 
color pigments present.  But during the good old summertime, 
chlorophyll covers up these colors.

When daylight hours become shorter, an amazing thing happens inside the 
leaf.  The change in sunlight from 15 hours a day in late June to 11 
hours in October flashes a signal to the stem of the leaf.  A thick 
layer of cork cells forms at the base of the leaf stem, blocking the 
flow of nitrogen and magnesium needed for the production of chlorophyll 
in the leaf.  Now that this little "trap door" has slammed shut, the 
green color starts to fade, because chlorophyll can no longer be 
produced in the leaf factory.  Within a week, the green color is nearly 
gone, and the bright autumn hues that were present all summer long can be seen.

The key to this color change is the shortened daylight hours.  But have 
you noticed that some trees near streetlights are usually late in 
changing color? That's because the extra light is like added daylight 
hours, and it fools the trees' sensitive systems!

Fall colors get brighter as autumn days march on.  Brilliant splashes 
of red, orange, and yellow mixed with hemlock and spruce against the 
blue sky make us ask, "How did it all happen? What great artist has 
been busy with this paintbrush?"

Have you ever thought about Jesus Christ as the master designer? He who 
created the trees is really responsible for their beautiful changes of color.

Did you know that He can make a beautiful change in your life, too? 
This is what the Bible says about that:  "If anyone is in Christ, he is 
a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" You see, Jesus 
Christ died to fully pay for your sins, and He came back to life three 
days later to prove it.  But just knowing this isn't enough.

If you haven't done so already, you need to ask Jesus to come into your 
life to be your Savior and Lord.  Why not do it right now? Talk with 
Him.  Say:  "Thank You, Lord Jesus, for dying for my sins.  Come into 
my life and make me your child.  I want to live for you all my life.  Amen."

To help you live for Jesus, God has given you the Bible.  Read it every 
day.  Start with the book of John in the New Testament.  You'll learn 
about other people whose lives were changed and made beautiful by Jesus Christ.

And there you have it for today.  I hope this article was a blessing for you.

Did you know that the American Tract Society has published, printed and 
distributed tracts similar to the one you just read since the early 
1800's? And probably they did it in multiple languages, besides English.

Until tomorrow when, Lord willing another timely article will be 
posted, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, 
individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  
Your Christian friend and brother, Paul