What’s going on with these leaves? 🤯 Anthocyanin pigments give Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) leaves their characteristic red and purple colors this time of year. These pigments are produced each autumn as the photosynthetic green chlorophyll pigments are recycled and removed from the leaves. To produce anthocyanins, though, the leaf must first be exposed to direct sunlight. Thus, you see the reddish-purple anthocyanin pigments in the sun-exposed parts of these leaves, while the shaded regions