Updated by: May 11, 2026
Why Do Leaves Fall?
It’s Autumn in my part of the world and it got me thinking. Why do leaves fall off the trees? Such a simple question but something I have never given much thought to or really understood.
So, I did some research and it turns out it is a process called ‘Abscission.’
As the days shorten and the temperature drops, trees detect the seasonal change and begin preparing for Winter. A layer of cells forms at the base of each leaf stem — the abscission layer — which gradually cuts off the flow of nutrients and water between the leaf and the tree.
Without nutrients, the green chlorophyll in the leaf breaks down, revealing the underlying yellows, oranges and reds that were always there but were masked by the green. Eventually the connection weakens enough that the wind or the leaf’s own weight causes it to fall.
The beautiful irony is that the striking colors of Autumn — the reds and golds that make the season so breathtaking — are essentially, the tree’s shutdown process made visible.
Which makes you wonder: if something this beautiful emerges from a tree simply preparing to survive, what might you witness if you sought it out deliberately?
Some of the most spectacular Autumn foliage in the world is found across the United States. Vermont, New England, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Catskills draw visitors every year for what Americans call ‘Leaf Peeping,’ the simple act of watching trees do what they’ve always done.
Next time you find yourself among those colors, just remember — they were always there. The green was just hiding them.
Paul Mercuri
Wake Up Here Founder
