It is also thought to help provide the tree more sugar and other nutrients before the end of the growing season. In response to unfavorable weather, this pigment is produced to protect leaves as an antioxidant that repairs damage, a natural sunscreen that shields excess sunlight, and as a defense against the cold and drought. This is all thanks to a substance known as Anthocyanin, a red pigment produced in the leaves of Sugar maple trees. If the latter part of summer was unseasonably dry, the autumn sky was clear and sunny, and the nights were a chilly 40 degrees - these weather conditions will bring out your brilliant red colors. Imagine you are a Sugar maple deep in the forests along the remote sections of the West Branch Susquehanna River. But before they drop, we see that wide spectrum of color. As the days become shorter and temperatures drop, the deciduous trees adapt to the rigors of winter by shedding their leaves and reabsorbing the nutrients back into the tree to conserve its resources.Ī tree is like a miniature economy, and the large leaves are too costly to maintain during the winter when resources are scarce. Since the leaves of deciduous broadleaf trees (oaks, maples, dogwoods, etc.) require more water and nutrients than the needles of evergreen trees (pine, spruce, and hemlock), they rid themselves of their costly-to-maintain foliage.

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