F o r f u Falling for leaves - York Daily Record | ydr.com: York...
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Falling for leaves DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS TRACEY BISHER CULLEN L e a r n t o i d e n t i f y t h e t r e e s Take advantage of the refreshing fall weather to pack a picnic lunch and head to one of York County s parks with the kids for a scavenger hunt. Cut out this list and bring a pencil or pen to mark off the items as you spot them. You could even take a camera to photograph each item and make a fall photo collage. Older children can gather some leaves and try to identify what trees they came from. For pictures to identify common Pennsylvania leaves online, go to www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/commontr/ Fall scavenger hunt A red leaf An acorn A pine cone A yellow leaf Canada geese A gray squirrel A chipmunk Moss An orange leaf A hickory nut A spider on a web A snake A hawk Animal tracks O r j u s t j u m p i n a p i l e o f t h e m Leaf identification, from top to bottom: Shag Bark Hickory, Sassafras, White Ash, Yellow Birch, Sugar Maple, White Oak Sources: about.com, USDA Forest Service Why do leaves change color? Every autumn, the leaves go through a transformation from their shades of brilliant green to magnificent mixtures of red, orange and yellow that signify that winter is just around the corner. This colorful change is the result of a chemical process that takes place as the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder. Each leaf contains a chemical called chlorophyll that gives the leaf its green color. During the growing season, the chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight and converts it into food for the trees. The leaves also contain yellow to orange pigments, carotenes and xanthophyll pigments, but these colors are masked by great amounts of green coloring. As the growing season ends, the chlorophyll breaks down and flows into the branches, trunk and roots. The absence of chlorophyll in the leaves allows the other colors to show through, resulting in the spectacular fall display. That explains the yellows and oranges, but what about red? The breakdown process leads to the production of anthocyanin pigments, which give leaves their red or purple coloring. The brighter the light during this period, the greater the production of antho- cyanins and the more brilliant the colors. When the days of autumn are bright and cool, the nights chilly but not freezing, the brightest colorations usually develop. Did you know . . . Colors on the same tree may vary from year to year, depending on the weather. Leaves on the same tree can be different colors. The side of the tree with the most sunlight may be red, and the side in the shade may be yellow. Can you identify the leaves on this page? Sugar Maple Sassafras Yellow Birch White Oak Shag Bark Hickory White Ash see answer below C o l l e c t t h e m t o m a k e a r t p r o j e c t s F o r f u n , h e a d o u ts i d e a n d t r y t o f i n d l e a v e s j u s t l i k e t h e s e . Leaf art projects for kids Gather colorful leaves from outside. Then trace the child s hand and up the arm on a piece of brown construction paper. Cut it out and glue on leaves to make a fun fall tree. Leaf rubbings Place a leaf on the table, top it with a piece of white drawing paper. Use a crayon to color over the leaf to make a rubbing of the leaf s texture. Leaf painting Paint one side of a leaf and press it onto paper to make a kind of rubber-stamp leaf. Or tape several leaves to a piece of paper, and paint the whole sheet of paper. Be creative, make polka dots, splatters, or dribble paint on top. Then remove the leaves to show the leaf pattern in reverse. Preserving leaves with glycerin The fall colors don t last very long, but if you d like to enjoy them a little longer, why not preserve those leaves? By soaking the leaves in a mixture of glycerin and water, you can make long-lasting, color-maintaining, preserved leaves. Note: A bottle of glycerin can be purchased at drug stores, or craft stores for about $3. Gather leaves right from the trees while they are at peak color and still soft to the touch, not dried out. Cut the end off each stem. Place the leaves in a flat pan in a single layer, then cover with a mixture of one part glycerin and two parts water .˚ Weigh the leaves down to keep them submerged for 5 days.˚Remove the leaves and dry with paper towels. What to do with preserved leaves Put them in picture frames and hang them up. Glue them to popsicle sticks or bamboo skewers and stick them in a vase or basket filled with a block of florist foam for a fall arrangement. Use a hot glue gun to attach them to a wreath form, decorate with acorns and pine cones.
Transcript of F o r f u Falling for leaves - York Daily Record | ydr.com: York...
Falling for leaves
DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS TRACEY BISHER CULLEN
Learn to identifythetrees
Take advantage of the refreshing fall weather to pack a picnic lunch and head to one of York County s parks with the kids for a scavenger hunt. Cut out this list and bring a pencil or pen to mark off the items as you spot them. You could even take a camera to photograph each item and make a fall photo collage. Older children can gather some leaves and try to identify what trees they came from. For pictures to identify common Pennsylvania leaves online, go to www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/commontr/
Fall scavenger hunt
A red leafAn acornA pine coneA yellow leafCanada geeseA gray squirrelA chipmunk
MossAn orange leafA hickory nutA spider on a webA snakeA hawkAnimal tracks
Or just jump in a pile of them
Leaf identification, from top to bottom: Shag Bark Hickory, Sassafras, White Ash, Yellow Birch, Sugar Maple, White Oak
Sources: about.com, USDA Forest Service
Why do leaves change color?
Every autumn, the leaves go through a transformation from their shades of brilliant green to magnificent mixtures of red, orange and yellow that signify that winter is just around the corner. This colorful change is the result of a chemical process that takes place as the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder. Each leaf contains a chemical called chlorophyll that gives the leaf its green color. During the growing season, the chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight and converts it into food for the trees. The leaves also contain yellow to orange pigments,
carotenes and xanthophyll pigments, but these colors are
masked by great amounts of green coloring.
As the growing season ends, the chlorophyll breaks down and
flows into the branches, trunk and roots. The absence of
chlorophyll in the leaves allows the other colors to show
through, resulting in the spectacular fall display.
That explains the yellows and oranges, but what about red?
The breakdown process leads to the production of anthocyanin
pigments, which give leaves their red or purple coloring. The brighter the light during this period, the greater the production of antho-cyanins and the more brilliant the colors. When the days of autumn are bright and cool, the nights chilly but not freezing, the brightest colorations usually develop.
Did you know . . . Colors on the same tree may
vary from year to year, depending on the weather.
Leaves on the same tree can be different colors. The side of the tree with the most sunlight may be red, and the side in the shade may be yellow.
Can you identify the leaves on this page?
Sugar MapleSassafrasYellow BirchWhite OakShag Bark Hickory White Ash
see answer below
Collect them to make art projects
For fun, head outside and try to find leaves just liketh ese.
Leaf art projects for kidsGather colorful leaves from outside. Then
trace the child s hand and up the arm on a piece of brown construction paper. Cut it out and glue on leaves to make a fun fall tree.
Leaf rubbings Place a leaf on the table, top it with a piece of white drawing paper. Use a crayon to color over the leaf to make a rubbing of the leaf s texture.
Leaf painting Paint one side of a leaf and press it onto paper to make a kind of rubber-stamp leaf.
Or tape several leaves to a piece of paper, and paint the whole sheet of paper. Be creative, make polka dots, splatters, or dribble paint on top. Then remove the leaves to show the leaf pattern in reverse.
Preserving leaves with glycerin
The fall colors don t last very long, but if you d like to enjoy them a little longer, why not preserve those leaves? By soaking the leaves in a mixture of glycerin and water, you can make long-lasting, color-maintaining, preserved leaves. Note: A bottle of glycerin can be purchased at drug stores, or craft stores for about $3.
Gather leaves right from the trees while they are at peak color and still soft to the touch, not dried out. Cut the end off each stem. Place the leaves in a flat pan in a single layer, then cover with a mixture of one part glycerin and two parts water.˚ Weigh the leaves down to keep them submerged for 5 days.˚Remove the leaves and dry with paper towels.
What to do with preserved leaves
Put them in picture frames and hang them up.
Glue them to popsicle sticks or bamboo skewers and stick them in a vase or basket filled with a block of florist foam for a fall arrangement.
Use a hot glue gun to attach them to a wreath form, decorate with acorns and pine cones.
