Why is grass green?

As soon as the weather warms, lawn mower start up, creating those perfectly shaped and brilliantly green lawns. Why is grass green and not blue or purple?

There is a short answer to that. Plants use sunlight to make food and the answer has to do with the wavelength and components of the cell.

The molecule of chlorophyll is tucked inside the tiny organelles called chloroplasts. A large organic nitrogen molecule is bonded to a magnesium ion at the center of a molecule of chlorophyll, according to WebExhibits, an online museum of science, humanities and culture.

The Greek word for Chlorophyll is chloros, which means yellowish-green, according to WebExhibits. How do you make your lawn look green after it's been cut? The molecule absorbs red and blue visible light. The green region of the spectrum is reflected in your eyes. You have green grass.

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Do trees exist?

Chlorophyll is more than a paint for your lawn. Plants use the sun's energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into food, in the form of sugars, for growth.

The same spots where chlorophyll reside are where this sugar-making process takes place. The sun's light is absorbed by the chlorophyll and transferred to two energy-storing molecules inside the structures, according to National Geographic. The CO2 and water are turned into sugars by the plant. Plants can use sugars in the soil to build more green plant parts.

It was originally published on Live Science.

It is not just for eye candy. It is important in the process of photosynthesis, in which plants convert light into sugar. When stimulated, the light quanta can be absorbed by the chlorophyll molecule and transferred to the special molecule that can fire off an electron that causes chemical changes in the plant. Chemical energy can be turned into sugar.