Blounts Creek,
Beaufort County, NC

As winter approaches, the deciduous trees along Blounts Creek reduce their production of chlorophyll and their leaves turn the color of fire, rust, tangerine, and ochre.

Surprisingly, the colors of fall – the yellow xanthophylls and orange beta-carotene – are present in the leaves throughout the year but masked.

Chlorophyll is sparked by the sun to produce the simple sugars that feed the trees but are consumed in the process and continually renewed by the trees, keeping the leaves green in spring and summer.

When the days shorten and nights lengthen, the trees begin isolating their leaves, dampening the supply of water and minerals, stoppering the base of each leaf with a layer of special cork cells. The chlorophyll dries up and, like a magic lantern show, reveals the bright colors that were there all along.

See also: Tar-Pamlico River Basin