Thursday, October 14, 2010

{Fun Facts} Anthocyanin

Courtesy, yet again, from my favorite magazine, here is a great Fun Fact for Fall.

There is a 70% probability that Eastern North-American tree leaves contain ANTHOCYANIN, the pigment responsible for the red or brown autumn colouration. The combination of cool weather and reduced day light allows the warm pigment to emerge.

Head to weather.com  and search "Fall foliage" to discover the peak leaf-viewing days in your area. (or click here).

The New York City and Long Island area is Near its Peak (50-75% change) depending on your area, but you don't need a website to tell you that. Go enjoy the scenery for yourself.

To read more about Fall and how great it is, read my Fall Colours post from last year.

Take care!


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References:
1. Tanenbaum, Sharon. "The Simple List." Real Simple Oct. 2010: 14. 
2. Palm, Carl E. . "Why leaves Change Colour." Fall Foliage. . SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 14 Oct. 2010 .

3 comments:

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  2. Don't forget your yellow xanthophyll and orange carotenoids! All those colors exist to soak up the "green" part of the spectrum that the green chlorophyll can't handle. That way, your sugar maples eat every part of the rainbow.

    And also don't forget that anthocyanins aren't just responsible for autumn reds, but also blues. Blueberries, for example, are loaded with 'em. Look, it's even got "cyan" right in the name.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Quantum Biologist,

    I hadn't thought of what the other pigments did, I love the imagery of eating every part of the rainbow.
    You are absolutely right, I can't forget those blueberries, yum!

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

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