Why is the Grass Green

Who knows why the grass is green? Biologists, physicists, and chemists provide detailed explanations from the perspective of each field of science. However, even without intricate explanations, this mystery can be unfolded for a young child. It is sufficient to acquaint oneself with the solutions proposed by scientists and retell them in an accessible form.

Why is the Grass Green: Explanation from Physics

Grass includes all plants whose stems have not become woody. Many think it is not tall, associating it with a typical lawn. However, tall and robust bananas, reaching about 6 meters in height, also fall under herbaceous plants because their stems are not wood.

The color of the grass is a rich green, a bright emerald that is so beautiful that it’s hard not to wonder why the grass is green. Physics provides the following explanation:

• The color of the grass is related to the proportion of sunlight it receives and absorbs.
• The color from the spectrum that is reflected is perceived as visible by humans. All remaining colors are absorbed by the plant.

This knowledge is often applied in daily life unconsciously or out of habit. For example, during the summer, people prefer light-colored clothing to avoid excessive heat from the sun. This is because light-colored clothing reflects all rays and, therefore, does not heat up.

Sunlight has a complete palette that includes all the colors of the rainbow. Grass absorbs all colors except green. There is an explanation for this:

• Herbaceous plants are capable of photosynthesis (converting light energy into the energy of chemical bonds), and green rays are unnecessary for this process.
• To generate the energy transferred to cells, the chlorophyll pigment, responsible for photosynthesis, chooses shades of red and violet.
• Green pigments cannot provide the required amount of energy and can even damage cells. Therefore, the grass reflects this color, and human eyes perceive it. Thus, we perceive the fact that the grass is green.

This explanation is offered by physicists who deal with the theory of color and understand why people see the world in a specific color spectrum.

Why is the Grass Green: Explanation from Biology

Biologists also provided an explanation for the color of the grass. Their answers are quite close to those of physicists but are determined by different factors because biology focuses on other essential aspects.

In each cell of herbaceous plants, there are organelles (small cell organs) called chloroplasts. They contain chlorophyll.

The word “chlorophyll” in Greek means the ‘leaf of green color.’ It is this substance that has a green color and colors the grass in such a way.

Green grass with chlorophyll plays a crucial role in the life of our planet:

• When sunlight falls on it, photosynthesis begins.
• This process converts molecules of carbon dioxide into oxygen, which all living things on Earth breathe.
• Chlorophyll is a key substance for photosynthesis, so herbaceous plants have a lot of it, giving them a green color.

When the duration of daylight decreases, and there are fewer sunlight rays, the chlorophylls break down. This process is observed in autumn when the grass turns yellow and withers.

Why is the Grass Green: Explanation from Chemistry

Chemists did not stay aside and offered their own perspective on the color of the grass. They agree with biologists that chlorophyll is responsible for the shade of plants, and the more of it, the more pronounced the color. But how does the pigment acquire it?

Scientists propose the following hypothesis:

• The color of substances is determined by the presence of metallic elements in their structure. For example, hemoglobin (a substance from red blood cells) contains iron atoms, making blood red.
• The green color of herbaceous plants is due to magnesium, which is present in chlorophyll.

It is worth noting that scientists conducted experiments in this field, replacing magnesium in chlorophyll with zinc. This chemical change did not affect the color of herbaceous plants. Therefore, this hypothesis still requires substantiation.

Why is the Grass Green: Explanation for a Child

The explanations presented above are understandable to adults and schoolchildren studying biology, physics, and chemistry. However, younger children often ask such questions.

What simple and understandable explanation can be found for them? It’s better to skip all the details about light absorption and reflection, the color spectrum, chemical composition, and other scientific intricacies in this case.

An answer to a child’s question could be:

• Tell them that grass is a living organism, just like people, birds, and animals.
• Like all living beings, they need to eat every day.
• Grass feeds on sunlight, and its rays must reach every blade of grass.
• To catch these rays, grass has a special substance called chlorophyll.
• On its own, it is green, and there is a lot of it in the grass, so that’s why it looks green.

Of course, this is not an accurate and detailed explanation, but a child will understand it. Over time, the school curriculum will help them delve into the question of why the grass is green and understand all the nuances of scientific explanations. It is essential to assist children and provide them with an initial understanding of such questions so that science remains interesting for them, and its mysteries attract attention.