10 Autumn Facts You Wish You Knew

Autumn facts can spice up any conversation during the season. Forget pumpkin spice lattes, these autumn facts have all the spice you need. Too much? Let’s forget about that last point. Autumn facts can be a great ice-breaking devise. Autumn is the season we start school, university, new relationships (we’ll get into that in a minute) so these facts could give you more topics for conversation with new people. 

If you are looking for fun autumn facts that can help you seem more interesting and educated on a date. Or you just love random fun facts, this article has you covered. And you get to enjoy them alongside some beautiful pictures of autumn. 

1. Fall Is A Smart Season

During fall the grey squirrel displays a 15% increase in the size of its hippocampus (the part of the brain responsible for memory, learning and emotion). This might be because it’s also the season when they have to bury nuts and seeds for the winter. That’s a lot of hiding places to remember! 

Children born in fall are also statistically perform better in school. The UK Department for Education claim that children born in the winter months are more likely to have reached “a good level of development” than those born in summer.  

2. Fall leaf colours are present year-round

We associate autumn with the beautiful red, orange and yellow colours of the leaves. But these pigments aren’t there only in fall. They are under the surface all year round, we just don’t see them because of the chlorophyll responsible for the green colour of the leaves. Chlorophyll uses light to produce energy. As sunlight decreases in fall, chlorophyll starts to break down and so the red, orange and yellow pigments become visible.

3. Global warming could affect fall foliage

Not all facts are positive. Fall is one of the most beautiful seasons. Unfortunately, we might not get to enjoy the beautiful colours of fall for much longer. At least not in the same way. Global warming may have a profound effect on fall. As temperatures rise and the sun shines for longer periods of time, we might not get to see the colours red, orange and yellow pigments. One 2013 study found that fall colours now arrive five days later than they did 23 years earlier.

4. Fall Ss The Season Of Love

Let’s talk love autumn facts. Facebook data found that more people change their relationship statuses from”single” to “in a relationship” or “engaged” during autumn. Maybe it’s in preparation for cuddles in winter, but fall is definitely the season of love. 

It could also be more scientific. Testosterone levels in men and women spike during autumn. So we could be getting into relationship because of an increased sex drive. Maybe just like other animals, autumn is our mating season. Thankfully, it’s not as obvious with people as it is with other animals. The male Siberian hamster’s testes swell 17 times larger on short autumn days. Awkward! 

5. Trees And Needles

Back to the science related autumn facts. Do you know why Coniferous trees are green all year round. However cold or dark, they don’t change colour (or at least most of them). It’s because of their needles, which can withstand harsh temperatures. So unlike deciduous trees, coniferous trees  can photosynthesise all year-round. 

6. The Aurora Borealis Is More Likely To Occur This Time Of Year

It’s not just the colours of the trees that you can enjoy during autumn, you have a better chance at catching the aurora borealis in autumn as well. Think Northers light, Southern Lights. 

What are they caused by anyway? Well, it’s a natural electrical phenomenon – an interaction of charged particles from the sun with atoms in the upper atmosphere. This leads to the appearance of steams of colours, usually green and reddish. 

During fall and winter months these light shows are known to occur twice as often. 

7. Autumn Equinox

The Autumn equinox, known also as the September equinox is the moment when the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator heading southward. It appears between 21 and 24 September, in 2019 it was on 23 September. It’s the one day of the whole year when the Earth receives exactly 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. In Latin “equinox” means “equal night”. That’s definitely one of the coolest autumn facts. 

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8. Weight gain is more likely

Unfortunately, autumn can also lead to weight gain, and it’s not just the delicious food that comes with the autumn-winter seasons. 

Researchers have discovered that the lack of vitamin D (because of the decline of light) reduces the fat breakdown in our bodies. So we tend to store fat during autumn. I wonder if we are also warmer because of that? 

9. Pumpkin spice is not pumpkin

When someone first hears pumpkin spice latte or pumpkin spice anything, they might think that it’s a spice, which contains pumpkin. And you will find recipes of pumpkin spice lattes with actual pumpkin. But pumpkin spice usually refers to a mix of spices normally used for pumpkin pies. That is: 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice and 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves.

10. Fall colours are cause by the amount of sugar in leaves

Have you ever wondered why different leaves are different colours. Like, why are some leaves yellow and some read if they are caused by the same thing. Well, it’s caused by the amount of sugar in leaves. 

The more red in the leaf, the more sugar that leaf is storing. That is why Maple trees are so vibrant. Evergreens don’t change because their leaves have a thick wax covering that protects the chlorophyl (green) in the leaves.

Bonus:

Remember when they pretend to be a zombie to hide from zombies in Shaun of the dead? The Celtic tradition believed that ghosts roamed the earth on Halloween. So wearing a disguise would help you hide from these spirits. 

Do you know any autumn facts? Share in the comments.

Featured image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/y3IwQ9hUE4A