Fall is in The Air

Fall Is In The Air

By: Sylvie

Many things come to mind when I think about fall.  Pumpkins, leaves changing color, and falling acorns.  I have researched these things to find out more about what makes fall so special.

Have you ever wondered how pumpkins grow? Pumpkins begin as a seed planted in the ground. A process called photosynthesis converts water and nutrients from the soil into plant tissue. Pumpkins require a long growing season of 75-100 frost free days. Pumpkins grow from vines.  The pumpkin plant grows a blossom which turns into the pumpkins we enjoy in the fall.  The pumpkin is actually an organ that stores sugar and starch.  We enjoy eating them, decorating them and carving them.

Why do you think leaves change color in the fall? As summer ends and fall begins, the days get shorter and shorter.  This is how the trees know to begin preparing for winter. Trees also use photosynthesis.  In the winter there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis.  In the fall the trees begin to cut off the food making process and the green color begins to disappear. The bright reds and yellows are in the leaves all year long, but when the green begins to disappear it makes those color shades show up more. The red color is mostly made up of glucose trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Trees bear many gifts in the fall.The leaf is one of the most  important part of  of a plant.

Acorn anyone?  Order up….coming your way.  Acorns are falling everywhere in the Ozarks. Acorns are also called oak nuts.  Acorns fall from fifty - eight different species of Oak trees in the United States.  Around one hundred species of birds and and animals eat acorns. Acorns contain one or two seeds in a tough leathery shell. They are held together at the top by a cup shape shell. Collecting acorns is a lot of fun. They come in many different sizes.  Fall is fun.  Look around for falling objects!