Sugar maples turn from a pretty yellow to peachy hues in the fall in Missouri.

Sugar Maple Trees Fall Peach Colors

Living in part of the world with four seasons, fall is one of the prettiest. Trees normally green for at least half of the year take on colors as their leaves start showing their true colors.

Leaves are fascinating solar-powered factories. Leaves contain chlorophyll, which absorbs sunlight and turns carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch. Hidden in those leaves are yellow to orange pigments, which also give carrots and pumpkins their color.

In fall, changes in daylight and temperature signal trees to stop producing food. Chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible.

One of the most beautiful fall colors are the yellows that turn into peach in sugar maples. I first saw those colors when we lived in southern Illinois. Although there are also sugar maples in Missouri, they stand out as individual specimens in residential neighborhoods.