Why do leaves change color in the fall?

When it's not raining, this is one of my favorite times of year. I love the colors of the leaves changing to their bright yellows and reds, which reminds me of something I read a few weeks ago. Bill Bryson had this to say about the science behind the color changes: “In autumn, as you will recall from your school biology class, trees prepare for their long winter’s slumber by ceasing to manufacture chlorophyll, the chemical that makes their leaves green. The absence of chlorophyll allows other pigments, called carotenoids, which have been present in the leaves all along, to show off a bit. The carotenoids are what account for the yellow and gold of birches, hickories, beeches, and some oaks, among others. Now here is where it gets interesting. To allow these golden colors to thrive, the trees must continue to feed the leaves even though the leaves are not actually doing anything useful except to hanging there looking pretty. Just at a time when a tree ought to be storing up all its energy for use the following spring, it is instead expending a great deal of effort feeding a pigment that brings joy to the hearts of simple folk like me but doesn’t do anything for the tree."

It makes me wonder if the colors of fall are simply for my enjoyment. Did God create trees this way just because he wanted us to appreciate their beauty?