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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Our Gorgeous Tree!

Here in southern California, most of the trees are evergreen. That means they stay green all year. 

However, there are some trees that change color. Mrs. Yollis' class is very fortunate because the tree outside their room is changing color!


Here are some photos for comparison!






Does anyone know what kind of tree this is?
Are the trees changing in your community? Tell us about them! 

Does anyone remember any facts about leaves 
or 
why some trees change color

Refresh our memory!

16 comments:

  1. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    The picture of the tree is magnificent. I feel like it is a tree back east(I am from New York). My friends spent a lot of money to go on a cruise to see the changing of the leaves. All they needed to do was to go to your school.

    Sincerely,
    Carol(Jaden's grandma)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Mrs. Yollis,
    I think the tree is cool. The leaves change from the color green to orange because they make less chlorophyll with less sunlight and when it is gone the leaves change the color. Mr. Salsich had a post on leaves awhile ago where I learned this. The leaves there must turn colors earlier than ours. Do you know why?
    From your student,
    Ben

    ReplyDelete
  3. Could it be a maple?

    I think leaves might turn from green to orange at different times because of the length or shortness of days.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Mrs Yollis and Grade 3
    Your tree is beautiful and looks quite dramatic against the green of the other trees.
    I thought from a distance it looked like a maple tree, but when I looked more closely at the leaves I knew that it wasn't. Now I have no idea!
    Does it have blossoms in the spring?

    from Mrs M♔Kenzie

    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Mrs.Yollis,

    I think that the tree outside our class is losing it's chorophyll. The colors are very cool! I know that the sunlight gives the tree food.

    From,
    Nicolas

    ReplyDelete
  6. @class,
    Thank you for such a beautiful photo. I found a little bit more information about how leaves change color.

    There are 3 kinds of pigments found in leaves:
    •Chlorophyll, which gives leaves their green color.
    •Carotenoids, which produce yellow, orange, and brown colors
    •Anthocyanins, which gives a red color.

    During the growing season, chlorophyll so the leaves appear green. However during the fall months, the days get shorter and chlorophyll production slows down and then stops and eventually all the chlorophyll is destroyed. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that are present in the leaf are allowed to show their colors.

    What is your favorite type of tree?

    From,
    Miriam

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello, Mrs. Yollis and class,

    I am a neighbor of yours here in sunny southern California. I am pretty sure your beautiful tree is a Chinese pistache. I have planted two in my yard and we love the colors every fall!

    You can find more info. on the "pistacia chinensis" at the following site:


    http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/chinesepistache.html

    I believe that the variation of leaf color change has a lot to do with the moisture and temperature levels in the fall. This fall will be spectacular (for us in CA anyway) because of the recent rains and wide temperature changes.

    Enjoy your tree!

    Ms. Tatiana
    www.worldstaracademy.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. @ Ms Tatiana
    I was also doing a search of the internet trying to match the leaves of the tree to a name, and came to the same conclusion as you did. I also believe that the tree is a tag Pistacia chinensis . It is a california tree and a sterile selection of Pistachio chosen for its tidier habit. Now that I know the name, I may just go out and get one!

    Best,
    Victoria (Miriam's mom).

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Mrs Yollis,

    What a wonderful photo and I must say the colour of the orange with the green real does make a statement.

    I tend to think it is a maple tree.

    What do you think Mrs Yollis?

    From your bloggin buddy AA.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Mrs.Yollis' class,
    I think that how the tree is changing colours it's intresting. Some of the tree's in my backyard are changing colour too. I think some of the tree's in my school's yard are changing too.
    Do you know how many trees are changing in your school yard?
    Sincerely,
    Abbi

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear Mrs. Yollis's Class,

    Your blog was really interesting. I thought trees did not change colour down in California. A tree at my next door neighbours house you can see it in her backyard. It is bright red. Is there any other trees near your school that are changing colour? I would really like to know.

    Sincerely,
    Madelyn

    ReplyDelete
  12. @ Carol,

    Yes, it looks like a maple from a distance, but we found out it is actually a Chinese pistache!

    @ Ben,

    Here is a link to read. Why do leaves change their color? Let me know what you learned and if you can figure out why Connecticut's leaves turn before ours.

    @ Adelaide,

    Thanks for your comment. Yes, it does have a lot to do with length of sunlight.

    @ Mrs M♔Kenzie,

    Isn't it beautiful? It is almost glowing! No, it does not appear to flower. We love our little slice of autumn!

    @ Nick,

    You are correct! The sunlight does help the tree produce food. Do you remember what they call the process? It was a big long word. Check the link above that I gave to Ben. It has lots of good information.

    @ Miriam,

    Wow! What a FABULOUS comment! You produced our first family blogging comment that earned a special circle. Thanks for contributing such relevant information for our learning!

    You asked me about my favorite tree. I really love the two liquid amber trees that are in my backyard. I enjoy watching them cycle through the fall season. On windy days, I can see the colorful leaves float by my bedroom window!

    However, I think I love our tree best of all!

    @ Ms. Tatiana,

    Thank you so much for your information! I think you are absolutely correct! I agree with you that this season will be spectacular with all the crazy weather. Today it was 90˚! The orchid in my backyard is blooming...it is so confused!

    I will add your blog to our blog roll! Thanks again for a great comment!

    Sincerely,
    Mrs. Yollis

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Ms Tatiana,
    Thank you for putting together such an interesting blog. I love that you had information on the book The Little Prince.

    @ Mrs Yollis,
    The Little Prince is one of my most favorite books ever. I was first introduced to it when I was in grade school when an elderly neighbor gave me an inscribed copy. I read it a few times throughout the years and I liked it more and more every time. What is the appropriate age to introduce this story?

    Best Victoria,
    (Miriam's mom)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Mrs. Yollis,Hi this is Matthew j and Harley from Room 2 in Burnham school. The trees were fantastic designs and being creative .

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    The photo of the tree is beautiful. I feel very lucky to have that marvelous tree in front of our class.

    I love fall because of all the beautiful colors. I wish we had more trees in our neighborhood that would change color. When I was a baby, I lived on a street lined with maple trees. Around Thanksgiving, my mom takes me there to see all the magnificent colors. Maybe one day I can bring in a photo of the trees.

    Sincerely,
    Hannah♔

    ReplyDelete
  16. @ Mrs.Yollis,

    I read your comment, it was outstanding! I went to the link that you told me to. I think the word is chlorophyll or carbon dioxide, was I right? I have some questions for you.
    Do you know any more tree facts? What are your favorite colors when a tree loses its chlorophyll? Do you like the tree at the front of the class?




    From,
    Nicolas

    ReplyDelete

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