Eli5:In fall, what physical/chemical process makes leaves turn orange and eventually fall off the trees?

Question

Eli5:In fall, what physical/chemical process makes leaves turn orange and eventually fall off the trees?

In: 3

Answer 1

The yellow/orange/red colors are always in the leaves. It is just overwhelmed and hidden by the plentiful green color that gets reduced in the fall because of declining sunlight hours.