Why leaves are green
In the furry, finny, feathered world of the animal kingdom, there are
many different colors. There are orange and brown giraffes, white polar
bears, blue beetles, and red birds. But in the plant world—the green
kingdom—the leaves of nearly all plants are just one color—green.
Why?
The biggest difference between plants and animals is that animals eat
and plants don’t. Plants are able to make their own food. Leaves have a
wonderful stuff inside them that makes food out of air and water, with
the help of sunshine. This wonderful stuff is called chlorophyll. And
chlorophyll is green.
So a leaf is green because it is filled with chlorophyll. And
chlorophyll makes food for the plant.
Animals have no chlorophyll. They can’t make food inside themselves as
plants can. Neither can you. But wouldn’t it be fun if you could? You
would always be full and you’d never have to chew!
chlorophyll
Inside a leaf are millions of tiny bodies filled with a green substance
called chlorophyll. These bits of chlorophyll give the leaf its green
color.
