My first fall in Michigan was pretty amazing. I'd never seen trees change colors like they do here, only in the movies, or in pinup calendars about covered bridges in WalMart. It's amazing every year, and the bright colors still shock me when it starts to happen.

But this year in particular, I noticed something odd about the changing leaves on some of the trees. Many of them were only starting to change on one side. Leaves on the south side of trees were turning vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows, while leaves on the north sides of the trees were still deep green. Why is that?

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We're finally in fall, so the tree color lovers are soon making their way into the state for their fall tourism. But for those that drive through Michigan just a little earlier than peak color season, they might see exactly what I witnessed, and that's trees of two colors.

Notably, a LOT of the trees are only changing colors on their south side, while the north side remains relatively green.

Well, obviously it comes down to science, and basic understanding of WHY the leaves change in the first place.

When we start getting shorter days, and the temperatures begin to cool off, deciduous trees will start working to preserve their energy and food consumption. One of the ways they do this is by stopping the food-making process in their leaves, and shedding them.

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The trees do this by breaking down the chlorophyll (the green part in the leaves), and during that process, the decaying chlorophyll turns colors like yellow, orange, and red.

But the speed at which that breakdown of chlorophyll happens, is also based on the sun. Once the process of preparing for fall starts in a tree, it starts throughout the entire plant. However, leaves that receive more sunlight will break down the chlorophyll faster, and turn the leaves sooner than other parts of the tree.

So in the fall, when the sun starts to move further to the southern horizon in Michigan, the southern part of trees gets more sun exposure, and breaks down the chlorophyll faster on that side of the tree.

And that is why some trees in the fall, especially ones on the southern edge of forests, or along roads, will begin to look two-tone in the early stages of color changing.

Pretty cool stuff, right?

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The Grand River During Peak Fall Leaf Changing Time

Ride along the Grand River while all the leaves change colors. Fall 2024.

Gallery Credit: Tommy McNeill

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