As the sun begins setting earlier and temperatures dip, much like the rest of us, trees are identifying that it is autumn and that winter is coming, says Amanda Gallinat, an ecologist at Colby College.
Deciduous trees such as most oaks and maples shed their leaves to endure the winter bare-branched, allowing them to reabsorb nutrients for the next growing season.
In winter's harshness, leaves can't store enough energy to make up for the water a tree loses through them, prompting deciduous trees to let go of their foliage.
The process of leaves changing colors and falling is shaped by both autumn weather and yearly climate variations, highlighting the impact of climate change on fall foliage.
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