lifestyles
The radiant colors may be the only bright spot during midterms at the University of Kansas. Above and below are snapshots of nature's brief flourish before the cold, dreary winter. Soon the pumps will be gone and the branches will be bare. And walking to and from class will not be quite the same.
Changing colors
It's that time of year again. The trees are kicking off the leaves.
It's hard to miss fall's signature trade-
park—colorful leaves.
But there is more to the colorful season than cooler temperatures and bare branches.
There is a short story to the changing colors of the leaves and the season of beauty that is simply called fall.
Craig Martin, professor of botany and a plant physiologist, is an avid fall observer. Each year he notes when the leaves change color and the amount of color that is present.
Last week Martin said the leaves looked too green and, based on his comparative judgment, the color changes were a week behind. But leaf hormones have a mind of their own, and they can change things fast.
Martin had predicted the colors would make their most brilliant change this weekend, but by the beginning of this week, he changed his prediction.
"The peak for the overall season has been the last few days and today, but the colorful leaves will only last until the end of October." Martin said.
Martin said there were two factors that trigger fall colors: a drop in temperatures
The results of these factors are the colors, a mixture of green, yellow and red pigments that have become symbolic of fall.
longer synthesized and new green leaves are not made.
The yellow comes from carotenoid, a yellow pigment that is always present in the hormones of the leaves but is masked by a green pigment. Once the green pigment is no longer synthesized, the leaves break down and turn yellow.
Photos by Brian Vandervliet and Yumi Chikamori
Martin said there is not a lot of variation in the yellow pigment, but some of the more noticeable yellow leaves are on silver maple, hackenberry and some elm trees.
The red pigment is called anthocyanin. This pigment is only synthesized at this time of year, Martin said.
The amount of red in the
leaves depends on two conditions — warm, sunny days followed by cool, but not freezing, nights and a mild drought.
This year's cool, wet weather has muted the production of red pigment.
The orange leaves are a combination of red and yellow pigments. Some species produce lots of red pigment, and some do not produce any red pigment.
By the end of October, there will still be color, but it won't be on the trees.
The leaves create their own demise when they produce cells that enable the tree to cut them off. Martin said.
"Eventually the leaves will die, if there is a good freeze," Martin said. "But the trees kill the leaves. It is all governed by the hormones in the leaves."
For Wayne Reusch, assistant director of landscape maintenance for Facilities Operations, the leaves fall almost too fast for clean up crews to collect.
Reusch supervises a crew that cleans up the leaves on campus every year.
"It may not be fun, but it is a job that needs to be done," Reusch said. "We all pitch together to get all the leaves raked up for football games and other special events."
But, like the changing colors of fall, the leaves become part of the cycle of nature. Reusch said Facilities Operations composts the leaves, a decomposing process that turns them into fertilizer.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Lawrence Nightlife Calendar
The Bottleneck
737 New Hampshire St.
Lonesome Hounddogs with Hatful of Rain, 10 tonight, $3
Mountain Clyde, 10 p.m. tomorrow, $4
Morristown, NY 10587
The Matt Wilson Band, 10 p.m. Saturday, $4
Jennyanyike, Black Calvin and Boys Life,
10 p.m. Sunday, $5 (18 and over)
Open Mike Night, 10 p.m. Monday, no cover charge
DOA and Slackjaw, 7 p.m. Tuesday, $6 (all ages)
Blue Meanies, 47 Indians and White Trash Express, 10 p.m. Wednesday, $4
642 Massachusetts St.
Liberty Hall
The Fabulous Flippers, 9 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday, advanced tickets $20.30 (floor), $15.30 (other)
River Valley Music Cafe
1601 W.23rd St.
Dave Matthews Band, 10:30 p.m. Monday, cover charge
Richie Havens, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, cover charge
Full Moon Cafe
803 Massachusetts St.
Howard iceberg and the Titanics, 9 p.m. Saturday,
no cover charge
Eleven Eleven, 9 p.m. tomorrow, no cover charge
Celtic Music with Palisman, 9 tonight, no cover charge
Son of Tom's Tuesday Thing, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdav.
no cover charge
Granada Theater
Brett Herron, 8 p.m. Wednesday, no cover charge
1020 Massachusetts St.
Molly McGuire with Shiner, Lifehouse and Boys Life, 10 tonight, cover charge
Mondo Disco with D.J. Ray, 9 p.m. tomorrow,
$4.5
$4.5
Punkinhead with Soul Function, 10 p.m. Saturday, cover charge
Alpha Phi Alpha Benefit with D.J. Slim, 9 p.m.
Monday, cover charge
Live Music Night, 9 p.m. Tuesday, cover charge Hawk Night (70's, 80's and 90's dance mixes), 9 p.m. Wednesday, $3-4
Student Union Activities
Union Ballroom
Sugar with Magnapop, 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29,
advanced tickets $12 (students), $14 (non-students)
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