Why New Hampshire’s Red Fall Leaves Are Different From the Yellow and Orange Ones

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Every fall, New Hampshire puts on one of the prettiest shows in the country. That's no secret.

Credit: Getty Images

The mountains turn orange, the back roads light up with yellow, and those brilliant red maple trees make you want to pull over and take a picture every five minutes.

But here's something I just learned that makes our fall foliage even more fascinating.

Those red leaves aren't changing color the same way the yellow and orange ones are.

In fact, trees are actually producing an entirely new pigment to create those beautiful reds.

And apparently, a little sunshine and some chilly New Hampshire nights are part of the secret.

Credit: Getty Images

The Yellow and Orange Colors Have Been There All Along

According to the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension the yellow and orange pigments we see every autumn have actually been inside many of those leaves throughout the summer.

We just couldn't see them.

The science class Garret is gonna jump in here now... During the spring and summer, leaves are filled with chlorophyll, the green pigment that helps trees turn sunlight into food.

That green is so dominant that it hides the other colors. Who knew?

READ MORE: 7 New Hampshire Places That Don't Feel Like New Hampshire

But as the days get shorter and the weather cools, trees begin preparing for winter by slowing and eventually stopping chlorophyll production.

Now what happens? As the green fades away, the yellow and orange pigments, called carotenoids, finally get their chance to shine.

So technically, those beautiful golden leaves have been hiding their fall outfits underneath their summer clothes the entire time.

Credit: Getty Images

But the Red Leaves? That's a Completely Different Story

First, why didn't I appreciate learning this stuff when I was in school?

Now, Nerdy asking questions Garret here... This is where things get really interesting.

Unlike the yellow and orange pigments, the red pigments aren't simply waiting underneath the green.

Many trees actually create them during the fall.

Standby... big word coming. They're called anthocyanins, and they're the same type of pigments responsible for the colors in blueberries and cranberries. That's what the National Library of Medicine says.

According to UNH Extension, the process happens as autumn arrives, the days get shorter, and certain weather conditions encourage sugar to accumulate in the leaves.

And those bright red colors we love so much?

They depend partly on the weather.

Sunny Days and Cold Nights Can Make New Hampshire's Reds Even Brighter

You know those perfect October days we have been having here in New Hampshire?

The ones where the sun is shining, the air is crisp, and you need a sweatshirt in the morning but you're fine without it by lunchtime?

Turns out, those conditions can help create some spectacular foliage.

UNH Extension explains that sunny days encourage trees to produce sugars. When those days are followed by cold nights, sugars can become trapped in the leaves, helping promote the production of red anthocyanin pigments.

The result can be those incredibly vibrant reds we see in maple trees and other plants across the Granite State.

Of course, the type of tree, its health, and other environmental conditions matter too.

But a stretch of sunny autumn days and chilly nights can certainly help.

So Why Do the Leaves Eventually Fall Off?

Unfortunately, even New Hampshire's prettiest fall colors don't stick around forever.

As trees prepare for winter, they form a special layer of cells where each leaf connects to its branch.

Eventually, that connection weakens enough that wind and rain can send the leaves floating to the ground.

It's all part of the tree's natural process of surviving the colder months.

Which means that gorgeous red maple tree in your neighborhood is doing some pretty impressive chemistry before dumping thousands of leaves onto someone's lawn.

And now that I know all of this, I'll probably appreciate New Hampshire's fall foliage a little differently.

Not that I needed another reason to stare at the trees while driving through New England in October.

What's the most beautiful place you've ever seen fall foliage in New Hampshire?