The Reason behind the Beauty of Autumn Foliage in Naejangsan Mountain

1. The daily temperature range is very great during the fall.

Naejangsan Mountain is located in the southern inland area, and due to its geological characteristics, the daily temperature range on the mountain is quite wide during fall. When fall comes, trees block their pathways to prevent the sugar they produce in their leaves from moving to the stems. The sugar made from the leaf photosynthesis continues to build up, and the chlorophyll in the leaves is destroyed with the increased acidity. During the process, the carotenes that have already been in the leaves are exposed and turn into anthocyanin, which turns the leaves red. This process is more active as the daily temperate range becomes greater.

2. Daylight hours are long during the fall.

Naejangsan Mountain is located in the middle of wide plains without any high mountains to block sunlight, and daylight hours are quite long. Long daylight hours mean fewer cloudy days and more sunlight for trees. Therefore, as the daylight hours are longer, trees can photosynthesize more and produce more sugar in their leaves.

3. There is a great variety of trees.

No matter how beautiful the autumn colors are, it would be monotonous if the entire mountain were filled with the same trees of the same color and same shape. The reason why the autumn scenery at Naejangsan Mountain is so spectacular is because of the variety of trees. On Naejangsan Mountain, there are 11 types of trees that turn color during fall, which is a very wide variety compared to Seoraksan Mountain (6 types), Jirisan Mountain or Odaesan Mountain (4 types).