Oak trees drop acorns, which squirrels love to collect.

Autumn is called “fall” in the USA: maybe because leaves “fall” from trees.


School starts in autumn. In many places, the new school year begins in September.


Leaves 🍁 on trees turn yellow, orange, and red. They stop being green because the trees get ready to rest for the winter.


People love to eat and carve pumpkins 🎃 in the fall, which is why it’s called “Pumpkin season”.


Many animals collect food in autumn so they can have enough to eat when it gets cold

Animals 🐰 grow thicker fur in the fall to stay warm during the winter.


Fall days get shorter. The sun sets earlier each day, so the nights get longer.


In autumn, many birds 🦅 fly to warm countries to escape cold weather and where they can find a lot of food. This is called migration.


In places near the equator (in countries like Ecuador or Singapore), there is no autumn, winter, spring, or summer — it’s warm all year long


Apples 🍎 are ripe and ready to be picked in the fall.

About the Fall in Numbers

3 months long

The fall lasts for around three months, usually from September to November in many places. However, in places on the opposite side of the planet (in the southern hemisphere, e.g. Australia), the fall starts in March, April, and May. 

86,000

A single squirrel can hide up to 86,000 acorns 🌰 in different places during the autumn to eat in winter.

35 species

There are over 35 species of trees 🌳 that change their leaf colors to beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows in autumn.

12 hours

The autumn equinox is a special day in the fall when the day ☀️ and night 🌑 are the same length—each is about 12 hours long! After the autumn equinox, the nights start getting longer and the days shorter.

Did you know?

Bears 🐻 eat a lot in the fall to store fat and then sleep all winter in their warm den. This is called hibernation. During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink. Hedgehogs 🦔 hibernate during the winter too to conserve energy.

Different trees change their leaves to different colors, like maple trees turn red!

The fall is a Harvest Time: Farmers pick lots of fruits and vegetables in autumn, like apples, pumpkins, and corn, because they are ready to eat!

Why Do Tree Leaves 🍁 Turn Yellow and Fall?

In the fall, trees stop making a substance called “chlorophyll” that makes leaves green and helps them collect sunlight and water. When there’s less sunshine and it’s cooler, trees don’t need their leaves anymore, so they turn yellow, red, or orange and eventually fall off. The tree is resting and saving its energy until spring comes and it’s warm again.

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Wild hedgehogs can help to get rid of insects in the garden.

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