Picture of the day - November 3, 2005

Morning Dew On Autumn Leaves

Today's picture features two of the most beautiful things in nature, together - droplets of morning dew and colorful autumn leaves. Master photographer Scott Dommin took this wonderful photo while visiting Amherst, NH. Dew is created when the air cools to its condensation point, also known as the dew point temperature. The temperature at which condensation takes place and dew is formed varies according to the amount of moisture in the air - the more moisture there is in the air the higher the dew point for a given air temperature. When the air temperature drops to the dew point, water must be removed from the air through condensation - forming droplets of dew. Leaves change their colors in autumn when they lose their chlorophyll, a chemical that helps the leaves convert water and carbon dioxide into sugar (which provides food for the tree). The chlorophyll in the leaves gives them their green color, and when the chlorophyll goes away so does the green color - leaving the leaves' natural colors to delight us in the fall!   Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo Interesting Articles