Why evergreens never lose their leaves

We've all seen those beautiful evergreen trees that seem to thrive during the colder months, steadfastly holding on to their brightly colored needle-like leaves as temperatures plummet. On the other hand, the flat and wide leaves of their deciduous counterparts transform into brilliant shades of red, orange and gold during the chilly and dry days of fall and winter, only to eventually shed and leave the trees with barren branches. So, why are evergreens — like conifers such as pines , firs, junipers and spruces — immune to seasonal leaf changes and shedding, while species of deciduous trees — like aspens, ash, birch, cherry, elm, oak, poplar and maple — aren't?

It mostly comes down to a little thing you might have learned about in biology class called photosynthesis. Both deciduous and evergreen trees use energy from the sun and water from the ground to turn carbon dioxide in the air into food. The difference is that shorter days brings less sun during the fall and winter and that translates into less energy.

So deciduous trees bearing broad, flat leaves go dormant or into a hibernation mode and shed their leaves to help them conserve water and stay alive until spring arrives and new leaves grow from new buds.

Evergreens, meanwhile, boast needles that are actually tightly rolled leaves, and this shape helps the needles conserve water throughout the fall and winter.

A waxy coating on the needles also helps keep water from evaporating. These rolled-up, waxy needles resist cold and stay moist, which keeps them green throughout the winter. Teaching Genre 3rd-5th. Fantasy Literature: Theories of Fantasy. Fantasy Genre. Animal fantasy power point. Modern Fantasy. Fantasy Elements. Related Books Free with a 30 day trial from Scribd. Coyote V. Acme Ian Frazier. Related Audiobooks Free with a 30 day trial from Scribd.

Johnnie Schoeffler. Views Total views. Actions Shares. No notes for slide. A Christmas Legend Winter was coming, and the birds had flown far to the south, where the air was warm and they could find berries to eat. Yet one little bird sat alone. It had broken its wing and could not fly to warmer weather with the others. I can do nothing for you. Birds are always looking for something to eat, and you might eat up some of my acorns.

Its wing was not yet strong, but it in desperation it began to fly away as well as it could. Before it had gone far a voice was heard. So the spruce gave the little bird a home; the pine kept the cold North Wind away; and the juniper gave it berries to eat. The leaves of an evergreen have the same function as leaves of other trees, mainly to make food for the plant through photosynthesis.

By having many small leaves packed with chlorophyll, the plant gathers as much energy as it can from the sparse sunlight. It uses this energy to make food in the form of glucose. The dark color also helps keep the plant warm in its cold environment think about wearing dark clothing on sunny day versus light or white clothing.

The dark clothing absorbs more sunlight and is hotter to wear. The cold climate where evergreens often live means that even if there is a large amount of precipitation, the water is often frozen and therefore unavailable to the plant. The small leaves also have small holes called stomata that are used for gas exchange; these can be closed very tightly to stop water loss. The myth and the article both provide explanations for why evergreen trees keep their leaves in winter.

How are the explanations similar and different? Use specific examples from the myth and the article to support your answer. What best describes the overall structure used in the passage? A description of the characteristics of evergreen trees b. A comparison of different types of trees that grow in cold climates c. A solution to a problem related to growing trees in warm climates. A list of steps to grow a tree in cold climates.

In your response, be sure to do the following: describe what the myth says about why evergreen trees keep their leaves in winter describe what the article says about why evergreen trees keep their leaves winter compare and contrast the two explanations include details from both the myth and the article to support your answer.