Meet Michael Mapleleaf

Hi, Michael Mapleleaf here.        

I lived for a while in your backyard.

Didn’t notice me? 
Ya, third branch up, way out toward the end…whoa, what a view…
But anyhow I’m down here now, which isn’t so bad
‘Cause it’s Fall
And well, I fell.
And so, about the color thing,
Did ya notice?
I changed!  My spécialité!
Excuse me, I am blushing…J
I’m not a chameleon, no
Although they are pretty spectacular too.
My color is all about being a leaf
A deciduous leaf, to be specific.
Back in the spring, my buddies and I popped out of our
Tree’s branches,
Rookies and a bit green,
But as the summer came on we soaked up the sunlight
And got a good layer of chlorophyll going,
It’s a gift…
We do it because it’s how we help our tree make sugar and grow
And survive the winter.
Remember last year and all of that cold and snow?!  Whew!
Any hoo…
We were going great green
But as the summer wore on
And the daylight hours began to shorten
(Just about the time I saw you hopping back on the school bus)
I began to feel a little faint,
A little faded,
A lot phooey.
Just couldn’t keep up with the green scene,
And so my chlorophyll coat weakened and wore out…
Nothing left to show for it…
Except my other true color!
Red!
Rockin’ the ruby, yes I am!
Pardon my science, but what you are seeing is
Anthocyanin, a pigment that we maples are so
Proud of it makes me flush.
So, that’s the story,
Colorful, no?
But I got to go now,
Fall is almost over and
I seem to have developed a few handsome spots of brown,
And a curiosity to learn more about
What earthworms do…