We all love the glory of an Autumn landscape, but do you know why trees turn different colors? All summer long, leaves look green because of chlorophyll, the pigment plants use for photosynthesis. As days shorten in fall and temperatures start to drop, trees stop making chlorophyll. The green fades away, uncovering the other pigments that have been there all along. Tree that turn primarily yellow and orange, such as Beeches, Hickories, Birches, Aspens, and Honeylocusts, have leaves that contain more carotenoids. Carotenoids are pigments that give color to things like carrots and corn. Trees that turn deeper colors likes red, burgundy, and purple (Like Dogwoods, Oaks, Red Maples, and Sumac) develop more anthocyanins. They form when sugars get trapped in the leaf and react with sunlight and cool nights. Some trees, like Sugar Maples, have both. As the chlorophyll starts to fade, you first see the bright yellow and orange tones of the carotenoids already present. Then, as Fall nights grow cooler, Sugar Maple leaves develop more sugars and more anthocyanins, creating the rich reds and purple you find later in the season. Below is a list of 
some of our favorite trees and shrubs known for their spectacular fall colors:
- Pagoda Dogwood
- Sugar Maple
- Red Maple
- Witchhazel
- Musclewood
- Nannyberry and other Viburnums
- Tamaracks
- Beeches
- Sumac
- Redbud
- Korean and Japanese Maple
- Ginkgo