ShmoopTube

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[Dino and Coop singing]

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There are lots of things that happen more in the summer than in winter....

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Surfing....

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Drinking lemonade... [Woman drinking lemonade in the shade]

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And taking off your backpack to find a patch of sweat that makes it look like you're still [Kid with a sweat patch on his back]

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wearing a backpack...

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Another thing that doesn't happen too much in the winter? Photosynthesis. [Plant looking sad]

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This is because the process of photosynthesis depends on light, so naturally it's going

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to happen a lot more during a sunny day in summer than a gloomy day in winter.

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Uh…no offense, winter. We love you, too. So just in case we need a quick refresher, [Diagram of photosynthesis]

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photosynthesis is the process by which plants are able to take sunlight and turn it into

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energy to survive and grow.

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So naturally, a tree in the summer is going to look pretty darn full of life. [Sunflowers dancing in summer]

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But as every student painfully experiences each year, summer cannot last forever. [Students freezing playing soccer in winter]

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And when the sun goes away for long periods of time, trees aren't able to keep up the

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energy needed to maintain their previously-energetic, vibrant selves. [Tree looks tired]

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Maybe they should chug a Red Bull, or something… [Tree drinking a can of Red Bull]

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But when it gets cold, and the trees can't photosynthesize as well, it can sometimes

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lose its leaves. We promise, this story isn't super sad. [Leaves falling from the tree]

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Eventually, once it's warm and the buffet table is packed with lots of sun and nutrients, [Plants growing in the sun]

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they get back to growing.

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Fun fact: that's why seeds are usually planted in spring, so when summer comes along

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the plants can grow really, really fast.

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Well..except in places like deserts, because sunlight is only one part of the equation [Cactus growing out of sand]

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– and plants without any water won't grow much at all.

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But when it does rain in the desert, you can bet those plants will grow fast.

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Naturally, then, it makes sense that photosynthesis happens a ton in places where there's water [Underwater plants]

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all the time. And where is there water all of the time?

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Ding ding ding! The ocean.

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Kelp plants on the coast of California can grow up to 1 meter per day when the conditions [Plant looks annoyed at kid diving]

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are just right. So if you're hoping for a growth spurt, try moving in with some kelp.

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We hear they're pretty quiet roommates. So as you can see, rates of photosynthesis

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can vary depending on where the plant is, what time of year it is, and what access to sunlight

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and water it might have.

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That's why you don't see giant cacti forests all over the desert. A desert cactus generally

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has a hard time growing up to be big and strong. [Lots of cacti growing out the sand]

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But on the bright side, just look at how cute this lil' guy is! [Cactus asking for a hug]

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