Vine maple. Branches and leaves of vine maples, Acer sp. , during the autumn. The branches have strands of moss hanging from them. The red and yellow colouration of some of the leaves is due to the loss of the green chlorophyll pigment from them. This allows other pigments in the leaf to be seen. These other pigments are always present, but are normally obscured by the chlorophyll. Deciduous plants shed all their leaves in autumn in preparation for the cold of winter. Photographed in British Columbia, Canada.