One of the best parts of fall are the gorgeous colors that deciduous trees show off. Colors that span a full range. Leaves go from green to yellow to orange to red until they turn brown and fall off. This month, we’re going to take a closer look at what makes leaves change color and what affects how vibrant or dull those colors are. If you need Monmouth County tree service any time of year, contact us! We serve all of Ocean County and Monmouth County.
How Do Trees Know It’s Fall?
Deciduous trees always know what time of year it is. When temperatures start to rise after winter, they know its spring and time to start growing leaves. Similarly, as days get shorter and temperatures drop, deciduous trees know it’s time to start storing nutrients for winter. Surprisingly, the most influential factor is not the temperature, but the sunlight. As there is less and less daylight, trees get the message that winter is coming. Part of the process of getting ready for their dormant season is to drop their leaves. This allows them to reduce their energy usage during a season when there are little nutrients to be absorbed.
What Causes Fall Colors?
The chemicals contained within the leaves is what gives them their color. During long spring and summer days, the chemical chlorophyll is what absorbs sunlight and gives leaves their green color. Once the tree knows that autumn is here, they begin to wall off their leaves to preserve energy. The breakdown of the chlorophyll is the first step of the color change. Other chemicals that are contained within leaves are carotenoids, anthocyanins, and tannins. These turn leaves all types of colors that are concealed by the presence of chlorophyll. Carotenoids give leaves yellow and orange color, anthocyanins turn leaves hues of reds and purples, and tannins are the last remaining chemical that turns leaves brown.
Influences on Fall Colors as Seen by Monmouth County Tree Service
The top three factors that affect the brightness or dullness of autumn trees are temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture. For the most vivid colors, the ideal conditions are lots of rain during spring and summer followed by a dry and sunny autumn. Slowly decreasing daylight in combination with cooler nights is what brings about a vivid fall show. A lack of moisture as seen in drought conditions can trigger trees to begin the fall process too soon. This results in leaves that fall from the tree before they go through a full color change process. Similarly, if temperatures drop too low, too fast, it can shock the trees into the same reaction and cause early leaf drop off severely stunting the display of fall colors.
Monmouth County Tree Service Lets Us Enjoy All the Fall Colors
While a trip to the mountains will give you the best view of fall foliage, even the trees in Monmouth County put on a show. The color palette of any place with broadleaf deciduous trees will change every fall. If you are looking to add a deciduous tree to your yard and want a specific fall color, check out this tree color list:
Aspen: Golden- Beech: Golden brown
- Birch: bright yellow
- Quaking Aspen: yellow
- Poplar: golden yellow
- Sugar Maple: orange-red
- Black Maple: glowing yellow
- Sweetgum: yellow, red, and purple
- Red Maple: bright scarlet
- Silver Maple: muted green
- Dogwood: purple-red
- Oaks: brown or russet
- Hickory: golden bronze
Find out more about our Monmouth County tree service and contact us when you’re ready to schedule your free estimate.
Trees are beneficial in so many ways. We’ve discussed using trees as windbreaks, planting ornamental trees for visual embellishments, and saving money on energy bills by using the shade that trees provide to your advantage. In addition to all the great things trees do for us, they do even more for nature and wildlife. From food and shelter to cleaning our air and storing carbon, trees and tree service in Monmouth County support nature and wildlife.
Birds, Squirrels, and Other Animals Appreciate Trees
Providing a habitat is one of the top advantages of trees in nature. Birds, squirrels, and many other animals turn to trees to be their homes. Canopies of deciduous trees can help protect inhabitants from predators and escaping into a tree eliminates threats that can’t climb or fly. Plus, trees are a great place to raise young for many creatures.
In addition to that, trees and shrubs supply the animals that enjoy them with food. Berries, seeds, fruits and nuts are the primary source of nutrition for many wildlife. Even leaves and flowers feed birds and other animals. Aside from trees themselves providing food, they are also home to many bugs and insects that are the main food supply of woodland creatures.
In order for the trees in your yard to continue to offer all these benefits, contact us for your tree service in Monmouth County.
Trees and Tree Service in Monmouth County Benefit the Earth
Healthy trees and their roots help aerate soil allowing more nutrients to be delivered to the soil and the living things planted in it. In addition to that, decaying leaves and tree bits increase the level of nutrients in the soil by creating natural compost. This improves soil biodiversity which directly improves the health of the lawn and trees growing in that soil.
Sturdy root systems also help to prevent erosion. As soil gets washed away, the nutrients held within it goes away too. Soil also helps absorb rain and water reducing flooding and wash-out. By slowing the flow rate, erosion is greatly reduced. Without roots to hold on to the soil, it can get swept in bodies of water polluting it. To get the healthiest roots, make sure you provide your trees with professional tree service in Monmouth County.
Homeowners keep house plants for a variety of reasons, but one of them is because plants help clean the air. If small house plants can improve the indoor air quality of a home, consider the impact that trees have around the world. This is why maintaining healthy trees worldwide are so crucial. Removing pollutants like carbon dioxide is essential to sustaining life on earth. But trees don’t just filter out toxins. Through photosynthesis, they also produce oxygen by converting carbon dioxide in the environment.
Our Trees Service in Monmouth County Supports the Environment
As trees take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen, they store the extra carbon in their trunks. The larger the tree, the more carbon it can store. This is why taking care of trees is so important. We need large, mature, healthy trees to treat our air and provide so many other benefits.
By trimming certain branches off of a tree, the weight of the top of the tree is changed. If you remove too many limbs on one side, the tree will become too heavy on one side and is likely to uproot. This is why professional tree service in Monmouth County by a licensed tree company is so essential. Trees provide so many benefits. The catch is that they can only do that if taken care of properly. Contact us today if you have trees in your yard that could use a little TLC.