Happy child wearing blue sweater and khaki pants holding arms out in falling leaves. - Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images The vivid red and orange leaves of Japanese maple trees (Acer palmatum) make them a ...

This is the time of year when Nicole Hughes gets constantly distracted by the fall foliage as she drives around North Carolina. "I'm always looking," says Hughes, a biologist at High Point University.

Scientists have long questioned whether the vibrant colors of fall foliage serve an evolutionary purpose. One theory suggests red pigments protect leaves from sun damage, allowing trees to absorb more ...

As the outside world normally is around this time each November, things have changed a lot. Many trees are already devoid of leaves while others are still covered with colorful ones. When the ...

Scientists know why leaves turn yellow in the fall: Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But red? Red is a different story altogether. Leaves have to make a ...

The red pigments in some fall leaves have proven to be a puzzle for researchers who debate why leaves bother to go red. Why do only some leaves turn red in the fall? Scientists can't agree on an ...

As the outside world normally is around this time each November, things have changed a lot. Many trees are already devoid of leaves while others are still covered with colorful ones. When the ...