Archive for the ‘weather’ Category
Why do leaves change color in the fall?
Why do leaves change color in the fall? asks Patricia Brown, of New York City.
Autumn’s cool days are trimmed with deep blue skies and golden light, and brilliant leaves of yellow, orange and red. Leaves changing color in the fall are a tree’s way of preparing for long winter, rather like we put up storm windows and pull warm clothes and blankets out of storage.
In summer, the leaves on trees like pin oaks and sugar maples are green because they are chock-full of the green pigment chlorophyll.
Trees need sunlight to produce chlorophyll. In turn, chlorophyll uses sunlight’s energy to split water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen. Meanwhile, leaves also absorb carbon dioxide gas from the air. The end products of leaf chemistry: carbohydrates (homemade plant food for the tree), and oxygen, released into the air (the gas we need to breathe). The whole process is called photosynthesis.
Where do bugs like flies go when the weather gets cold?
Where do bugs like flies go when the weather gets cold, so they can appear like magic when it gets warm again? asks Jonathan Conway, of Syosset, NY.
Unfortunately, many insects don’t survive the freezing cold of winter. Others, however, have come up with clever schemes to hang on until spring.
For example, cluster flies sometimes hide out in the nooks and crannies of a warm house or barn over the winter, venturing out to fly around only on milder winter afternoons.
Mosquitoes, like bears, hibernate through the winter cold. Adult mosquitoes look for dark, damp, hiding places–like your basement–to spend their winter vacation. In spring, the females slowly become active, flying around looking for food (fresh blood). Once they’ve had their blood meal, they’re ready to lay eggs, and hatch a new crop to plague us during the summer.