The Color and Sound of Fall In The Park

There are 20,000 magnificent fall colored trees in Central Park . But I am choosing this street muscian playing the hammered dulcimer for today's blip. He may not be there tomorrow. The colored leaves have been there all year.

The pigments are masked during warmer seasons by the green chlorophyll that enables photosynthesis. As the fall begins and the days get shorter, there's dwindling sunlight for trees to convert to food. The loss of nutrients stops production of chlorophyll and their underlying pigments emerge.

Anthocyanins produce red and purple. Carotenoids give leaves yellow and orange pigments. Tannins are responsible for the browns.

If color had a sound, the magical dulcimer notes capture every shade in the spectrum.