Fall is a season full of surprises. The air turns crisp, leaves change color, and pumpkin pies appear on kitchen counters everywhere.
Whether you call it fall or autumn, this time of year gives us plenty to celebrate and plenty to learn! We gathered ten fun facts about fall that families or classrooms can enjoy together.
1. Fall Officially Begins with the Autumnal Equinox
Fall does not start on a random day. It begins with the autumnal equinox, which usually happens on September 22 or 23 in the Northern Hemisphere. On this day, the sun shines almost directly over the equator, and day and night are nearly equal in length. After the equinox, nights grow longer and days grow shorter until winter arrives.
2. Leaves Don’t Really “Turn” Colors
Here’s a secret: those brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows hide inside leaves all year long! During spring and summer, a green pigment called chlorophyll covers them up. When daylight fades in the fall, trees stop making chlorophyll. The green disappears, and the hidden colors finally get their moment to shine.
3. Americans Eat About 50 Million Pumpkin Pies Each Year
Pumpkin pies rule the dessert table during fall. Americans bake and buy roughly 50 million of them every year, with most enjoyed around Thanksgiving. The tradition goes back hundreds of years, though early colonists made their pies by roasting pumpkins filled with milk, honey, and spices.
4. Squirrels Get Smarter in the Fall
Scientists discovered that squirrels’ memory gets better during autumn. Why? They need to remember where they buried thousands of nuts and seeds!
A single squirrel may create hundreds of hiding spots, and forgotten nuts often grow into new trees. In a way, squirrels plant forests by accident.
5. Fall Babies May Live Longer
Some studies suggest that people born in the fall have a better chance of living to age 100 than people born in other seasons. Researchers are still exploring why, but it makes for fun trivia for anyone with an autumn birthday!
6. The Full Moon Closest to the Equinox Is Called the Harvest Moon
Farmers once depended on the bright light of the harvest moon to gather crops late into the evening. This full moon rises soon after sunset for several nights in a row, giving extra light during the busiest time of the farming year.
7. Fall Was Once Called “Harvest”
Before people said “fall” or “autumn,” they simply called the season “harvest.” The word “fall” became popular in the 1600s as a shorter way of saying “the fall of the leaves.” Today, Americans mostly say fall, while people in Britain prefer autumn.
8. Monarch Butterflies Fly Thousands of Miles
Every fall, monarch butterflies leave the United States and Canada and travel up to 3,000 miles to Mexico. These tiny travelers weigh less than a paperclip, yet they complete one of the longest insect migrations on Earth. Amazingly, they find their way to forests they have never visited before.
9. Apples Float Because They’re Full of Air
Bobbing for apples is a classic fall game, and it works thanks to science. Apples are about 25 percent air, which makes them float in water. So the next time you bob for apples, you can thank all those tiny air pockets inside the fruit!
10. Pumpkins Are Actually Fruits
Even though we treat pumpkins like vegetables, scientists classify them as fruits. That’s because pumpkins grow from flowers and carry seeds inside, just like apples and oranges do. So when you enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie, you’re actually eating a fruit dessert!
Share These Fall Fun Facts!
We hope these fun facts for fall spark curiosity in your classroom or home. From the autumnal equinox to migrating monarchs, this season offers endless chances to learn something new. Share these fall fun facts with your students and children, and see which one surprises them the most!
