These days, if you are walking around the campus of Hanoi National University of Education, you will probably behold the beauty of the tree leaves changing color. This phenomenon takes place annually in the North Region of Vietnam, typically, in the month of February. Known by the student’s as “Con đường tình yêu” or “Lover’s Lane”, there is one particular street that is considered the most beautiful, and romantic place on the campus. On a typical afternoon in February, you’ll find many students taking pictures, studying, or walking hand-in-hand with their lover while the street it covered in gorgeous red leaves.

Students and teachers at the Faculty of Biology swell with pride as their field of study takes the spotlight on the campus, and is admired by students and visitors from around the world. We all know that this process of leaves changing color is a biological process, but how does it really work?What makes this stunning array possible?

The wonderful truth is, that these colors have been hiding within the leaf for it’s entire life. That’s right, all leaves contain the beta carotene, and xanthophylls that give these leaves their special color. Some species contain more or less yellow, orange or red pigments, but for most of the year, it is impossible to tell. March through January, the green of chlorophyll is the most overwhelming visual component of the leaves.

Chlorophyll is the organelle within a cell that is responsible for absorbing the energy from sunlight and transforming it into carbohydrates. This green color is so abundant for most of the year that it blocks out all other colors within the leaf. When the daylight shortens, and the weather turns cold, the trees begin to reduce their food-making process, and break down the chlorophyll; thus revealing the beautiful warm colors we all know and love.

So, as the new buds appear on “Lover’s Lane”, take a moment the appreciate how nature acknowledges the beauty of rest, and tell a student from the Faculty of Biology how fascinating and lovely their field of study is!

Alyssa Meyer

Works cited:

SUNY college of Environmental Science and Forestry. (2019). Why leaves change color. Retrieved from https://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.htm

Photos: Xuan Toan

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