Lovely Leaves are Secret Signals
In fall, many plants delight us with the wonderful colors of their leaves. Plant leaves can turn yellow, orange, red, brown, pink, purple and even white! Sure, it provides a magnificent display of beauty. However, these many color changes can also be signals to wildlife. Some plants’ leaves change colors to attract wildlife: red leaves often signal that a plant is in flower or fruit. Birds, bees, butterflies, and moths can see the red trees from long distances. Sourwood is an example of a tree that turns red in the fall when its flowers appear. Other trees, like Sumac, Sassafras or Blackgum, turn red to show birds that their delicious fruits are ripe. Leaves of the Honeylocust drop just after their large, bean-like fruit pods appear. The pods are sweet and tasty to grazing wildlife. Once the leaves have dropped, wildlife can see the fruit much easier than when the leaves blocked their view.
Viewer Tip: Now that you know how and why plants signal to wildlife through their leaves, you can attract specific species to your yard by using native plants that provide food or shelter. For excellent descriptions of native plants and their relationships to wildlife, visit the Georgia Wildlife Federation’s Online Guide to the Native Plants of Georgia for Wildlife at www.gwf.org.
Season: Fall
(Source: http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/research/leaves/bio_explanation.html)
