Turkey in Falling Autumn Leaves Coloring Page with PDF

Turkey in Falling Autumn Leaves: History & Fun Facts

Wild Turkeys and the November Woods

Wild turkeys spend late autumn foraging heavily on acorns, seeds, and fallen fruit to build up fat reserves before winter, which is one reason the bird became associated with the harvest season long before it became a dinner centerpiece. A mature wild tom can weigh over 20 pounds and forages across a home range of several hundred acres, moving through exactly the kind of oak and maple woodland where leaves are dropping heaviest in October and November.

Why Maple and Oak Leaves Turn Color

Leaves change color in autumn because shorter days and cooler temperatures cause trees to stop producing chlorophyll, the green pigment that dominates spring and summer foliage. Once chlorophyll breaks down, the yellow and orange pigments called carotenoids that were present all along become visible, while some maple species also produce new red pigments called anthocyanins in response to bright sunlight and cold nights. Oak leaves tend to turn a duller brown or russet because they retain more tannins than maple leaves.

Leaf Piles as an American Autumn Tradition

Raking fallen leaves into piles became a common American yard chore only after lawns became widespread in suburban developments during the twentieth century; before that, leaf litter was often left to decompose naturally or used as mulch and animal bedding. The turkey standing calmly while leaves fall around it captures a scene familiar to anyone who has walked through a schoolyard or backyard in late fall, when the ground is covered in color just as Thanksgiving approaches on the calendar.