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ISSUE #50

DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED

MARISA MORBY​

In just a few more days fall will officially be here. I love fall, especially the transition into it, where we go from long, hot days to cozy, cool days with a golden light. In the fall the leaves here sometimes look like they're actually glowing. It's really magical! So, in anticipation of the Fall Equinox on Sunday the 22nd, I'm going to be talking about the science and wonder of autumn.

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design

Since this newsletter is about autumn, I wanted to write about birds and design. Birds migrate by the billions every fall, so now is a great time for birdwatching all over North America. You can help birds as they migrate by turning off your outdoor lights and drawing your blinds so the skies stay dark enough for birds to navigate. Up to 80% of migratory birds fly at night!
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In addition to their impressive migration miles, birds have been the basis for design inspiration in engineering for planes, trains, and... drones! Check out my post to see how a bird beak helped re-design a train, and how bird flight is changing our understanding of drone flight.

nature

Now we'll look at the science behind the leaf change that we see in fall. First, I want to show you what happens in a sped up time lapse. I think plants are often difficult for us to fully appreciate because their transitions are slower than we're able to really comprehend.

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​In order for a leaf to change color, it first needs three pigments: carotenoids, anthocyanin, and chlorophyll. Carotenoids produce yellows, browns, and oranges, like you see in bananas, rutabagas, and carrots (an easy way I remember: carrots = CAROTenoids). Anthocyanin is water soluble and gives color to fruits like blueberries, strawberries, grapes, plums, red apples, and cherries. Chlorophyll gives leaves their green color and makes it possible for them to photosynthesize, which converts sunlight into sugar to feed the plant.
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As night length increases during autumn, chlorophyll production slows down and then eventually stops. As the chlorophyll in the leaf starts to break down, we see the pigments from the carotenoids and anthocyanin shine through.
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The weather throughout the previous seasons and during fall will determine how vibrant leaves are that year. Warm, sunny days with crisp, cool nights lead to brighter colors for leaves that have anthocyanin. The combination of light and sugar helps spur the growth of anthocyanin, which contributes to the reddish hues we see in leaves. Carotenoids are always present in leaves and stay fairly stable, so a leaf that is going to turn yellow or gold tends to show the same vibrancy every year.

reimagine

One of my favorite things to do when I go on walks is take pictures of the small things that people tend to glance over. Tiny lichen and mushrooms. An up-close photo of moss and liverwort so you can see the difference between them.
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​Daniel Aucoin seems to share my joy of tiny pictures, and his beautifully backlit mushrooms remind me of the spooky, beautiful, magical days of autumn.