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Guest
03-Nov-2009 18:02
I just read a rather long story about why it is that the leaves turn red in some parts of the World, while they they turn yellow in Europe. Here's a summary:
The red color, which takes extra energy for the plant to produce, is a protection against bugs. As ice has been growing and receding during the ice ages, flora and fauna has had no trouble following the ebb and flow of ice in North America, as the mountain ranges primarily go North-South, whereas in Europe the Alps are going East-West making it more difficult for the bugs to move with the flow of the ice. With the bugs out of the game, the trees didn't need to spend the extra energy on creating the red color. Instead, they just loose the green and turn yellow, as yellow is part of the green.