Falling for Fall
Fun Facts About Autumn’s Colorful Season…
here’s something about autumn that seems to wake up all the senses. The air gets a little crisper, leaves begin changing color and suddenly everything tastes better with cinnamon. Even in Northern California, where fall sometimes takes its sweet time arriving, the season
brings plenty to celebrate.
Here are a few fun facts about this colorful time of year.
Why do leaves change color?
Those brilliant reds, oranges and yellows have actually been hiding in the leaves all along. During spring and summer, chlorophyll gives leaves their green color and helps trees turn sunlight into energy. As the days grow
shorter and temperatures cool, chlorophyll production slows down. The green fades away, revealing yellow and orange pigments underneath. Some trees also produce red and purple pigments as fall arrives.
Autumn has two beginnings.
Depending on whom you ask, fall can begin on two different dates. Meteorological autumn starts September 1 and includes September, October and November. Astronomical autumn begins with the autumnal equinox, usually around September 22 or 23 in the Northern Hemisphere.
About that equinox…
The word “equinox” comes from Latin words meaning “equal” and “night.” Around the autumnal equinox, daytime and nighttime are close to equal in length. After that, our nights continue getting longer until the winter solstice in December.
Why do we call it both fall and autumn?
“Autumn” is the older term, but “fall” became popular several centuries ago as a shortened version of “fall of the leaf.” Both words traveled to America with English settlers, but Americans eventually favored “fall” while “autumn” remained more common in Britain.
Pumpkins are fruits.
Botanically speaking, pumpkins are fruits because they develop from the flower of a plant and contain seeds. They’re also members of the gourd family, along with squash, cucumbers and melons. And while we usually picture pumpkins as orange, they can also be white, green, yellow, red and even blue-gray.
Apples float for a reason.
There’s a reason bobbing for apples works. Apples are roughly 25 percent air, which makes them buoyant enough to float in water. There are thousands of varieties of apples grown around the world, ranging from extremely sweet to wonderfully tart.
Animals know winter is coming.
Fall is a busy season in the animal kingdom. Squirrels collect and hide food, many
birds begin long migrations and some animals start preparing for hibernation. Monarch butterflies may travel thousands of miles south to warmer climates.
Fall has its own scent.
That familiar smell of autumn isn’t entirely our imagination. Fallen leaves begin to decompose, releasing organic compounds into the air. Combine that earthy aroma with cooler temperatures, wood smoke, rain and seasonal spices and fall develops a fragrance all its own.
The season may make us nostalgic.
Fall is closely associated with traditions: the beginning of school, football games, harvest festivals, Halloween, Thanksgiving and family gatherings. Those repeated experiences can become strongly connected to memory, which may help explain why the first chilly day or smell of cinnamon can suddenly transport us back in time.
Whether you love pumpkin patches, colorful leaves, cozy sweaters or simply that first morning when you finally need a jacket, autumn has a way of reminding us that change can be beautiful.
So pour something warm, step outside and enjoy it. Fall never seems to stay quite long enough. •
