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The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-ups
"A clearly written guide to trees with lyrical artwork that draws the reader in. A wonderful way to introduce young eyes and ears to the world of trees and an easy reference for budding naturalists—of all ages."
—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder
Sugar Maple Sliding Puzzles
Hit the shuffle button to mix the pieces. Then... slide them all back into place. Good luck! For a bigger challenge, hide the numbers and see if you can complete the puzzle based on the picture alone.
Check back in the winter for a new puzzle!
Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum
In the autumn, in places where the weather gets cold, some trees drop their leaves. Before they fall, the leaves change color.
Tree leaves look green because they contain green pigments called chlorophyll (klor-o-fil). The chlorophyll uses sunlight to change water and gases from the air into energy for the tree. Leaves also contain yellow and orange pigments, called carotenoids (ka-rot-en-oidz). Carotenoids are there in the leaves all summer. But you can't see the carotenoid colors because the many green chlorophyll pigments cover them up.
In the fall, when it is too cold for the chlorophyll to work properly, it can break up and disappear. But the carotenoids stay behind and the leaves look orange or yellow.
In cold autumn weather, some trees make new red or purple pigments called anthocyanins (an-tho-sigh-a-ninz). Anthocyanins are brightest when the weather is just right. The days must be sunny and not too hot or cold. The nights must be very cold but not freezing.
Sugar maple leaves make lots of anthocyanin pigments. They have bright fall color.
Can you find some colorful leaves in your neighborhood?
Text and illustrations adapted from The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-ups, by Gina Ingoglia.
Thanks to 2meter3 for jqPuzzle.