The foliage turns yellow or red. The dandelion was yellow at first, then it turned white. In the garden or at the dacha, an incomprehensible flower bloomed bright yellow, and then for some reason turned orange. Why is this happening? Why change the color of a plant?
The color change of plants can be quite varied.
The most common and well-known phenomenon of color change in plants is yellow and crimson foliage in autumn. People admire this phenomenon, they are interested in it, they even dedicate poems to it. And this happens due to a change in the amount of chlorophyll in plants. Usually there is a lot of it and it is he who gives the green color to the leaves. Chlorophyll is easily destroyed, but in the summer under the sun's rays, it instantly recovers. In autumn, however, these processes are greatly slowed down, and chlorophyll gives way to other dyes that were weaker than it. But with the onset of cold weather, he gets more opportunities and strength. Therefore, the color of the foliage is so different in shades. From yellow to bright red.
The second phenomenon of a change in the color of plants may be a less noticeable phenomenon. When flowers that have one color become another.
From the same category, you can distinguish lungwort, forget-me-nots, hydrangea and camara, in which the flowers are arranged in an umbrella. In the center there are light and creamy flowers, yellow flowers are closer to the edge, and red along the edges. This is due to a change in the amount of acidity in the sap of the plant. In the reds, this acidity is practically absent, but in the center there is a lot of it. This is done for insects that come to drink nectar and pollinate the flower. So the color palette is a kind of menu: red and purple flowers signal: "there is nothing to feed on", yellow: "food is served", white: "not ready yet."
Or take a dandelion. The yellow is bright and attractive, and you can often find a bumblebee or a bright butterfly around it. And if you pluck it, then sour milk appears on the stem. And when it is crowned with a white cap, insects no longer pay attention to it, and the stalk becomes faded and lethargic, and there is almost no juice in it.
Well, one more reason for plants to change color: a change in pigment. The same chlorophyll contains a green pigment. Pigments replace each other depending on the reaction of the environment. For example, the so-called autumn chamomile (helenium): most varieties of this flower change their color to a more saturated one - dark reds turn brown, yellow flowers turn orange. This happens as the cold weather sets in.
In some of the conifers, the needles take on a rust color with the onset of winter. And on the contrary, pine needles become more saturated dark color.
These are some examples of why a plant can change its color.
