As the warm months of summer give way to the crisp days of fall, trees in the Northern Hemisphere begin their annual display of vibrant colors.

Throughout the sunnier months, oaks, maples, birches and other such trees use a compound called chlorophyll for photosynthesis, which converts sunlight into plant fuel.

Chlorophyll gives summer foliage its shimmering green color, but as the weather cools and daylight shrinks, leaves begin to slow their production of the compound and start to reveal the natural pigments in the leaves.

The beautiful autumnal (see definition and hear pronunciation below) hues of red, yellow, orange and brown create quite a feast for the eye!

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What’s your favorite autumnal activity?

Autumnal: Occurring in, or characteristic of, the season of autumn.

Click here to hear a pronunciation of autumnal.

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