Autumn the season of foliage in many hues

For tree-lovers, autumn is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year when foliage changes into a rich mixture of brown, red, yellow, orange and gold.

In comparison to spring, welcomed for its greening of the countryside and the new life it brings, some people find a certain sadness in autumn when leaves begin to fall and wither and winter approaches. But then, spring isn’t too far away either and indeed, with climate change, spring is coming earlier: daffodils were peeping up in late December last year.

Chlorophyll, the colouring substance that turns leaves green, is plentiful in the growing season, but is diminished in the cooler autumn weather and other substances such as those that cause red and brown hues take over. The end result is that leaves die.