Autumn is a time when most crops are harvested in many temperate zones. Deciduous trees (those that shed their leaves every year) shed their leaves after they turn yellow, red, or brown. Autumn marks the beginning of a new school year in many countries.
- Autumn and fall are used interchangeably as words for the season. Both are used in American and British English; Autumn is considered the more formal name for the season.
- The Autumn season occurs in the northern hemisphere after summers and before winters from September to November. While in the southern hemisphere, it occurs from the month of March to May.
- Long before it was called “autumn,” or “fall,” the third season of the year was known as the “harvest” in England. The season was given this name to reflect the time of year when farmers would gather their crops and prepare them for winter storage.
- Every September, when the northern hemisphere enters the autumn season, each day has one less minute of daylight. It may not seem a lot, but over the course of one month, it counts to be a half-hour of lost daytime.
- In the autumn season, trees shed their leaves because it helps trees to conserve water and energy. The leaves of trees turn red, orange, and golden in autumn because of changes in the length of daylight and change in temperature, which results in the leaves stopping their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible and give the leaves the part of their fall splendor.
- Trees that drop their leaves annually in this manner are called deciduous trees. Common deciduous trees in the Northern Hemisphere include several species of ash, aspen, cherry, beech, birch, elm, hickory, maple, hornbeam, oak, poplar, and willow. Evergreen trees do not shed their leaves.
- Tropical regions that are close to the equator do not see the autumn season due to the reason that it receives daylight consistently all year long.
- Autumn is the season for the migration of many bird species. The most common pattern of bird flyaway involves flying north in the spring to breed in the temperate or Arctic summer and returning in the autumn to wintering grounds in warmer regions to the south.
- Autumn occurs because of the tilt of the planet earth. When Earth leans towards the Sun, Summer occurs, and after six months, when it leans away from the Sun, Winter occurs. In between these, Spring and Autumn will occur.
- In a year, there are only two times when the day and night are of the same length. The dates are March 21 (Spring) and September 23(Autumn).
